Letter to Samuel Bodman, Secretary of the US Department of Energy
May 23, 2006
The Hon. Samuel Bodman
Secretary
U.S. Department of Energy
1000 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, D.C. 20585
Dear Secretary Bodman:
I need your attention on a New York-specific issue and will welcome your input.
I am writing to you today regarding the request by New York Regional Interconnect, Inc. (NYRI) to be considered for the status of National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor (NIETC) under Section 1221 the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
In their March 2, 2006 letter to the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, NYRI, a private corporation, outlines a proposed project to construct a 1200 MW HVDC transmission facility that is to interconnect from the Edic substation in Marcy, NY to the Rock Tavern substation in New Windsor, NY.
There are two enormous problems inherent to their request: one is a matter of public interest and the other is a bizarre story of incompetence.
By proposing to both construct and operate 200 miles of high voltage power lines, NYRI has sacrificed the objectivity required to make energy decisions on behalf of the public interest. As you no doubt agree, Mr. Secretary, we are living in an era when sound energy decisions require objectivity and transparency. NYRI is a private company, and one that has proven its incompetence by beginning their proposed public works project by infuriating the public. Were it not so clearly rooted in arrogance, their bumbling would be a point of amusement. However, there is nothing amusing about the potentially-devastating impact their proposal could have on Upstate New York.
At each subsequent exchange with the public, NYRI has been glib and condescending to property owners and local officials. They have withheld information and sought to usher in their agenda on rhetoric and scare tactics by relying on the yet-unwritten rule in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, regarding national energy corridors.
When private and public interests intersect, it is incumbent upon the private sector to win the public trust. Not only is NYRI seemingly unconcerned with the property owners their proposal will directly impact; but they are attempting to skirt New York State regulators - despite the fact that the project is encompassed entirely within New York State.
Apparently, they view the rule as a vehicle to circumvent state authority and state interests; whereas my explicit understanding of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 is that any group must first go through the state regulatory process and, if one year passes without action, then their application may be considered at the federal level.
I would be hard pressed to entrust a matter of tremendous public importance to a group who has exhibited, at every phase, the utmost contempt for the public and transparent dialogue. The Northeast is clearly in need of utility upgrades; however, this proposal raises questions, many questions, and the cavalier response from NYRI seem to be "trust us, we know best." That qualifies as one of the most absurd statements from a source that has yet established any public trust.
I don't mean to get preachy, but as I see it the government is of the people and not, as NYRI's insulting action would lead one to believe, an institution with the means and will to skirt the very people from whom we derive power.
Thank you for looking into the matter, Mr. Secretary. I appreciate your attention and look forward to hearing your comments.
Sincerely,
Sherwood Boehlert
Member of Congress
http://www.house.gov/boehlert/pr_060524_energyletter.htm