Orange officials head for a showdown over power line

A federal push to expand the nation's electricity grid is heading for a showdown with Orange County officials. The federal government now backs the New York Regional Interconnect (NYRI) plan to build

News 12 Staff

May 28, 2014, 8:59 PM

Updated 3,853 days ago

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A federal push to expand the nation's electricity grid is heading for a showdown with Orange County officials.
The federal government now backs the New York Regional Interconnect (NYRI) plan to build a 190-mile power line that will run through eight counties in New York, including Orange. Local regulators will have very little input, so they are banding together to try to change that.
"We need to have the ability to say where this is going, without that, we have nothing," County Executive Ed Diana said.
Without any input on where the power line will be built, residents could face losing their property. The NYRI could take private property along their routes by eminent domain.
Orange County has teamed up with the other counties affected by the power line. They hired a law firm to fight against the federal government?s decision to back the NYRI. Diana says he will also be asking for more funding from the Orange County Legislature and state Senate to fight against the power line.