John Mason in the Register-Star reports that more than 40 speakers spent two and a half hours telling Administrative Law Judge Eleanor Stein and a member of the Public Service Commission why they oppose the current plan of New York State Electric and Gas to construct a new power line through Ghent in front of 140 people at a hearing at the West Ghent Fire Station on Fri., June 14. NYSEG’s proposal is to tap into the National Grid line, build 2.5 miles of line to bring the electricity to a new switching station near Falls Industrial Park Road and Route 9H, and build 8.6 more miles of line to connect the switching station to the Klinekill Substation on Route 203 west of the village of Chatham. The line crosses many homeowners land, and the Art Omi sculpture park. Mason focused on Ghent Town Attorney Ted Guterman II's comments opposing the line, listing his many questions: "Is there a need for an improvement to the power grid? Does an upgrade serve the town of Ghent or does it serve other areas? Why doesn’t NYSEG want to consider the alternative proposed by the town? Why does the route zigzag, making 11.1 miles rather than the nine miles it was initially? Why has NYSEG refused to meet with the representatives of the town?" A spokesman for NYSEG told Mason the county would have blackouts if the company’s line between Chatham and Craryville went down during a peak load. Read the full story in the Register-Star.