William J. Kemble is reporting in the Daily Freeman U.S. Department of Energy officials have declared the proposed 336-mile Champlain Hudson Power Express project ready for a Presidential permit. The permit would allow a 1,000-megawatt electric transmission line to be laid in and alongside the Hudson River. The announcement was made Mon., Aug. 11, by Transmission Developers Inc. The group last year received state Public Service Commission approval for its application to deliver electricity from Canada to the New York City area. Under the plan, lines will run in the Lake Champlain bed, then go over land for just under 170 miles before being put in the Hudson River just south of the village of Catskill. The project received endorsements two years ago from Scenic Hudson and Riverkeeper. Both environmental advocacy organizations noted the line will be buried along railroad and highway rights of way for approximately a third of the Hudson River section. The groups were also convinced to support the project after Champlain Hudson Power Express promised to establish a mitigation fund of nearly $118 million that would be paid over a 35-year period. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.