CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, may blast the huge power line planned for the region at public hearings later this month, but those voices won't really count. The crucial test will come this winter in Albany, far from the spotlight.

That's when some 300 organizations and state agencies present evidence to the Public Service Commission about New York Regional Interconnect, which proposes a 190-mile power line from Utica to New Windsor that would slice through Sullivan and Orange counties.

"The evidentiary hearings are most important," NYRI president Chris Thompson told the Times Herald-Record's editorial board Monday. "People have to back up what they say with scientific evidence. We have to present our case with witnesses."

That doesn't mean the state won't pay attention to the hearings scheduled for Orange and Sullivan counties the week of Oct. 27.

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