Statement of Senator Clinton on Department of Energy Announcement to Halt Hearings on NYRI

Press Release

Statement of Senator Clinton on Department of Energy Announcement to Halt Hearings on NYRI

In a press release today, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced that it was dismissing requests for a rehearing, and that it would not reconsider the designation of the two National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors (NIETC) in the Northeast.

"Today's decision by the DOE is deeply troubling. NYRI should not be given the green light to push aside the residents and elected officials who have serious and legitimate concerns about the proposed route that will cut a swath through their communities," said Senator Clinton. "This is yet another attempt to make an end run around New York's rigorous review and siting process, and I will continue to fight to ensure that the voices of concerned New Yorkers are heard and that the State has the final say in this matter."

Under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT), Congress authorized the DOE to designate NIETCs in congested areas of the high-voltage power grid. Last year, the DOE designated a mid-Atlantic corridor that stretches along the East Coast and encompasses a large chunk of New York State, running from Oneida County to Orange County and cutting through federally protected parks and scores of local communities. Under EPACT, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) was given the authority to override state denials of applications to build power lines under certain conditions.

Senator Clinton has long been a vocal and tireless advocate for those New Yorkers who are opposed to New York Regional Interconnect's (NYRI) proposed power line route. In February, Senator Clinton joined a bipartisan coalition in calling on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to hold hearings on the DOE's NIETC program, saying the NIETC plan fails to comply with existing federal laws protecting environmental quality and public lands, and that the FERC plan bypasses states' siting authority for power corridors. Recently, Senator Clinton praised the decision of a federal judge in U.S. District Court in Albany to dismiss a lawsuit brought by NYRI that challenged a state law protecting homeowners from the use of eminent domain by private power companies. She has also joined with Senator Schumer to introduce legislation to fix the law in order to give the State of New York the final say on the siting of power lines.

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