Parry Teasdale reports in The Columbia Paper that a series of public meetings in Ghent and Chatham will be held this week and throughout the month about new transmission power lines there. Teasdale reports that settlement talks will start next month in Albany to find a way for New York State Electric and Gas Company (NYSEG) to run new power lines through Ghent and some neighboring communities without disrupting local scenic views, historic sights, and agricultural development. The 115 kilovolt line would run about 12 miles, most of it in Ghent, starting in Stockport and looping through Chatham. New York State is proposing a separate major transmission power line project through other parts of Columbia and Greene Counties, and through the Hudson Valley. In this case, NYSEG now says in a notice published in The Columbia Paper that, "it may be possible to settle many or all of the issues in Public Service Commission Case 12-T-0248," a reference to the NYSEG proposal, which must receive approval from state regulators at the Public Service Commission. NYSEG now says the can operate at 34.5 kV, a lower power which only needs conventional utility poles that are already common along local roadways. The local meetings open to the public are:
•Thu., July 10, 2014, 4 to 8 p.m., NYSEG Chatham Service Center, 31 Dardess Drive, Chatham
•Thu., July 17, 2014, 4 to 8 p.m., West Ghent Volunteer Fire Station, 74 Bender Boulevard, West Ghent
•Thu., July 24, 2014, 4 to 8 p.m., NYSEG Chatham Service Center, Chatham
•Thu., July 31, 2014, 4 to 8 p.m., West Ghent Volunteer Fire Station, West Ghent.
Melany Putman is NYSEG manager of Community Outreach and Development, 518 664-9534, extension 350 or mfputman@nyseg.com. Anyone wishing to participate in the settlement negotiations that begin August 14 should contact her no later than August 4, 2014. Andrew C. Davis is the state Department of Public Service staff contact, who can be reached at 518 486-2853 or Andrew.Davis@dps.ny.gov. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.