"Mohawk valley residents should not have to bear the burden to supply other areas with energy. We must do everything in our power to make sure that this corridor designation does not mean that NYRI's power line scheme is a done deal.

In designating the corridors today, Energy Department officials cited the need to tackle the nation's energy requirements on multiple fronts. That is exactly why New York State needs a comprehensive energy policy enacted as soon as possible. We need a policy that will take into account the concerns and energy needs of our local communities, and not just the needs of cities hundreds of miles away.

NYRI's proposal uses an antiquated system, designed decades ago to benefit coal-burning utility companies. It does not address the need for cleaner sources for energy. I strongly believe that this plan was designed solely to benefit coal-burning corporations and the self-serving interests of investors who are backing projects like the NYRI plan.

The building of power lines through our communities, across a vast swath of upstate, is inefficient and I will continue to fight the power line proposal and put up all possible roadblocks to make NYRI's band-aid approach obsolete."