Who is NYRI?

NYRI is New York Regional Interconnect. It is a group of private investors headed by a Canadian entrepreneur, R. Muddiman. NYRI has chosen not to identify other investors in the project. NYRI’s stock is not publicly traded, and it does not identify investors in the corporation.

What is NYRI's proposal?

NYRI wants to build an electric transmission line from near Utica to New Windsor. The direct current (DC) line would follow railroad corridors through many cities, towns, parks and protected, scenic areas. The wires would be strung on structures as high as 130 feet tall.

How will it affect you and your area?

Property owners living near the power lines will feel a financial impact as transmission lines lower their property values. In addition, if NYRI succeeds in its plan, it may have the right to seize the property of people living on the proposed line, in order to construct and maintain the electric transmission towers. Even if you do not live directly on the proposed route, you also may be affected, since local governments will have to tax other properties at higher rates to close the budget gaps caused when properties are seized and removed from the tax rolls, or when property values are lowered.

Moreover, the cost of electricity for most customers north of New Windsor will increase, creating new hardships for struggling businesses and households. Consumers hundreds of miles away from the route will see rate increases.

In addition to the loss in property values, NYRI’s line would cross through many scenic areas where tourists visit. The line will obstruct the views at cultural and historic sites, as well as anywhere tourists visit, such as to see eagles or protected wetlands. Tourism, one of upstate New York’s brightest spots, will likely decrease if the line is built.

What towns, villages and other areas would be affected?

NYRI’s proposed route uses rights of way along railroads. Railroads were built to deliver goods and passengers to towns and villages more than a half century before the automobile. Now, however, many homes, farms, historic sites, tourist attractions, and environmentally protected areas are right on or near these rights of way. Using the routes of the railroads, NYRI’s transmission lines would go directly through some of New York’s most beautiful and historic districts, from Utica to New Windsor – a distance of nearly 200 miles. To see how your area would be affected, look at the maps NYRI has posted on its website: www.nyri.us.

If trains already go through the rights of way, what’s wrong with a transmission line following the route?

There are several reasons NYRI’s plan is harmful and dangerous. First, train tracks are used sporadically throughout the day, while the transmission line would be in continuous use and always visible.

The train right-of-way is very narrow compared to the wide path required by a transmission line, so NYRI would likely seek to take property alongside the rights of way. The transmission line also creates an electromagnetic field (EMF), exposing everything along the wider rights-of-way. In addition, in some parts of the line, commuters ride the trains along the railroad lines many hours a day. There are obviously serious safety concerns, in the event of a train derailment, about having commuter or freight trains running right next to a high voltage power line.

What is the process for approval or denial of NYRI’s plan?

In order to build a transmission line, an interested party must apply to the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC). Detailed studies must be submitted with the application. The Public Service Commission must take public comments on the proposal and examine every aspect of the plan before rendering a decision. The decision process is lengthy, since there are so many factors to be considered.

As of now, the PSC has determined that NYRI’s application is not complete, and has requested that NYRI supply additional information.

If the PSC does not act within a year of completion of NYRI’s application, NYRI may also seek approval for its plan by a federal agency. A provision of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 passed by Congress would then allow an energy transmission company to present its case to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). NYRI has already set that process in motion.

If FERC agrees with NYRI, it can override any decision by New York’s Public Service Commission. If FERC grants approval to the NYRI project, NYRI’s private group of foreign investors will be given the power to seize private property by use of eminent domain.

What can you do to help?

We need your help today to stop the power lines.

Once NYRI has completed its application, the PSC will begin formal hearings. We will need to present testimony by affected individuals as well as by experts in the fields of the environment, engineering, property values and health sciences. This will cost money.

You can help today with a donation to our organization. Please send whatever you can spare. Please make your checks out to SayNo2NYRI, and mail them to SayNo2NYRI, P.O. Box 661, Otisville, NY 10963.

Your contribution will help spread the word and fund the legal fight ahead. Act today. The future of our area depends on it.