Path of power lines revised

Upstate NY Power Corp. will soon apply for a state certificate for a greatly revised transmission line to connect the proposed Galloo Island Wind Farm to the state grid.

Upstate NY Power ran a public notice in the Watertown Daily Times on Monday, a required step before submitting an application for a certificate of environmental compatibility and public need from the state Public Service Commission. The notice said the application would be filed on or around Dec. 31.

The new map shows a route that, after landfall, runs much closer to Henderson Bay, then runs south and east of Belleville, possibly using a former electric power line right of way. Instead of running to Albion and Parish, the new route goes through the village of Pulaski into the town of Mexico.

The old route generally was farther to the west. In some spots, the new route is well east of the old one.

This preferred route is about 50.6 miles from the island and goes underwater to Henderson and through the towns of Ellisburg, Sandy Creek and Richland and the village of Pulaski and town of Mexico. In Mexico, it will connect with a 345-kilovolt line that is part of the regional power grid. The underwater distance is about 9 miles.

The landfall will be off Hovey Tract Road on property owned by ELL Roch Enterprises Inc., Nazareth, Pa. From there, the transmission line will run underground for about 800 feet to a transition station, where it will be converted to an overhead 230-kilovolt line.

Upstate NY Power would not give additional information on the transmission line Monday. "Upstate NY Power is currently in the application process and cannot give any further information until the draft application is filed with the Public Service Commission," said Matthew C. Dallas, spokesman for Babcock & Brown, Ltd.

Babcock & Brown is backing the proposed Galloo Island Wind Farm.

The Public Service Commission is required to hear all cases involving electric transmission lines 10 miles or longer for 100-kilovolt lines and 1 mile or longer for lines of 125 kilovolts or higher.

The public notice said, "Several alternate routes for the proposed transmission line were identified during the reconnaissance process. The proposed route was chosen because it best suits the needs of the Hounsfield Wind Project, maximizes the use of existing facilities and right of way, minimizes the creation of new right of way, and minimizes impacts to the environment and landowners."

According to PSC's Article VII Process Guide, Upstate NY Power must send a copy of the application to the state departments of Environmental Conservation, Economic Development, Agriculture and Markets and the Secretary of State and the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

Each municipality in the proposed path also will receive a copy of the application.

The guide said the commission's secretary takes about a month to determine if the application is complete. That would be followed by public statement and evidentiary hearings with an administrative law judge. The first formal hearing will be two to three months after the applicant's filing date

The judge makes a recommendation to the commission. Once the commission is satisfied, it will authorize construction. Staff from the Public Service Commission will check the developer's practices for compliance.

Before the line is built, however, the wind project must go through a complete environmental impact review, which will be overseen by DEC.

Copies of the application will be available for viewing at the Henderson Free Library, 8949 Route 178, Henderson; Hay Memorial Library, 105 S. Broad St., Sackets Harbor; East Hounsfield Library, 19438 Route 3, Watertown; Ellisburg Free Library, 12115 Route 193, Ellisburg; Annie Porter Ainsworth Memorial Library, 6064 S. Main St., Sandy Creek; Pulaski Public Library, 4917 N. Jefferson St., Pulaski; and Mexico Public Library, 3269 Main St., Mexico.

The application also will be available on Upstate NY Power's Web site.