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Brian Adey
 798-5800

Oneida County Executive Joseph A. Griffo today said he has asked the Oneida County Board of Legislators to commit $50,000 to support the regional effort under way to block the proposed New York Region Interconnect power line from Marcy to New Windsor.

“With the future of our region on the line, we need to ensure that our effort to block this line has the resources needed to provide specialized expertise that we will need to defeat this project,” Griffo said. “As we learned from our victory in the BRAC process, experts are critical to the success of any effort when a small region tries to fight bigger opposition. We have a long-term fight ahead to achieve victory before the state Public Service Commission and the U.S. Department of Energy. This is a tangible step to show that we are committed to taking this fight as far as necessary – even to the courts.”

(A copy of the letter from Griffo to the Board is attached)

May 24, 2006

The Honorable Gerald Fiorini, Chairman
Oneida County Board of Legislators
Oneida County Office Building
800 Park Ave.
Utica, NY 13501

Dear Chairman Fiorini:

Our battle to protect our people, communities and environment against the power line proposal from New York Region Interconnect needs to move to a new level so that we can build upon the grassroots activism raging across the region to successfully oppose this project.

Even as thousands of people are working to sign petitions and write letters to show their opposition, we who have been through bruising battles at the state and federal levels know that to be successful, we will need to win the fight that will be coming in the regulatory process. As we have discussed in our informal conversations, there have been indications of broad bipartisan support to oppose this project.

As tangible signs of our commitment, and as a step to prepare the case we will need to make to the state Pubic Service Commission and U.S. Department of Energy, I am asking the Board of Legislators to approve a $50,000 allocation for the current fiscal year that can be used to fight this project. Funding will be transferred from other budget lines so that our response to this emergency situation will have no impact on the county’s overall bottom line.

I ask the board to consider and approve this commitment of funds so that the region has a clear signal of our willingness to lead this battle for the long haul and so that we can pull together experts who will be needed to successfully wage our fight in Washington and Albany. A resolution to that effect will be finalized for your next meeting.

Although it is our hope that the groundswell of citizen opposition and the determined resistance of other county governments working with me to oppose this project will be successful, we must prepare for a battle against a well-financed opposition and also prepare for a fight that may go beyond this summer into the future. Although we are working to stop this proposal dead in its tracks in the regulatory review process, we need to be prepared to bear the fiscal burden that will be required if we need to pursue this fight into the courts. I am willing to make that commitment to the people of our county, and I will ask the Board to join me in publicly stating our willingness to fight this fight as long as required to protect our region.

The critical element in the success of our fight to stop BRAC was unity. Citizens, elected officials of both parties and representatives of a number of communities and constituencies worked as a team, checked egos at the door, and focused on the goal – knowing that success was the only thing that mattered for the region.

Individual legislators have expressed their commitment to develop a bipartisan and widespread campaign to stop this proposal. Their support is important to our efforts to present a united front, show NYRI that it tried to steamroll the wrong people, and protect our region.

Sincerely,

Joseph A. Griffo
Oneida County Executive

CC: Hon. Jim D’Onofrio, Majority Leader
        Hon. Harry Hertline, Minority Leader