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Power line foes are lining up
Bonacic leads charge against Son of Marcy-South. Way to go.
May 18, 2006
 Times Herald-Record

State Sen. John Bonacic has taken up the gauntlet to fight Son of Marcy-South. Welcome to the fray, Senator. The Republican, whose district includes Sullivan County, announced his opposition to the proposed 200-mile-long power line last week with this simple statement: "These lines do not belong in our backyard."

That is, or should be, immediately obvious to anyone who notes that the projected path of the power line takes it along the Delaware River, which happens to be a federally protected scenic recreation area. That means river, trees, mountains and people, not unsightly transmission towers.

Somehow, that logic has escaped a Canadian outfit called New York Regional Interconnect, which wants to build a direct current transmission line from Marcy, in Oneida County, to New Windsor, in Orange County, just like the Marcy-South line. The company says the line, which would follow rights of way for railroads and a natural gas pipeline, is needed to improve the reliability of the power grid, increase efficiency and cost savings and provide power to a million homes downstate. It also says the project is compatible with the environment.

To which Bonacic, and thousands of people who live along the projected path of the line, say, prove it. Prove not only that the power line is necessary, but also that it is necessary to mar the natural beauty of a region whose economy depends in large part on its scenic appeal. That it is necessary to plop more intimidating transmission towers in neighborhoods where properties have already been devalued by the presence of the Marcy-South line. That there is no alternative way to provide this power to downstate homes. That the positives of the proposal far exceed the negatives.

We must also point out here that, in addition to following the Delaware River, the proposed line would cross the Neversink River in Orange County as well as the Bashakill, a popular, protected wetlands and wildlife sanctuary. None of this sounds environmentally compatible.

Bonacic has pledged $50,000 in member-item money to help the Upper Delaware Council fight the plan, a good deposit on what could be a costly fight. The people behind Son of Marcy-South have hired high-priced, well-connected lobbyists and lawyers in Albany and Washington, D.C., to clear the way for their $1 billion project. But people power is sometimes enough to combat political connections, especially when the people have common sense on their side.