CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE

UTICA, N.Y. - State regulators say New York Regional Interconnect's power line application is complete and they are now reviewing it.

As part of that process, the state Public Service Commission will hold public hearings Oct. 21 and 22 in Oneonta and Utica.

"We expected that the application would be deemed complete sooner or later," said Mike Steiger of the Upstate New York Citizens Alliance and a member of the steering committee for Communities Against Regional Interconnect. "We do feel we will be successful in defeating it at the PSC level."

NYRI wants to run a 190-mile transmission line from near Utica to Orange County downstate. Supporters say the line is needed to improve the state's aging power grid and reduce the threat of blackouts like the one that struck the state in 2003.

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