The New York State Public Service Commission announced Thurs., Feb. 20, its intention to expedite the review process for certain transmission projects. In a statement, the Commission said it will develop "an expedited, 10-month review process for future transmission projects that can be built wholly within existing utility or state-owned rights-of-way." The Commission attributed the push for quicker approval to statements made by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in his 2014 State of the State address, concerning the need for upgrades to an aging infrastructure and to address congestion problems. Also on Thursday, the Commission directed administrative law judges overseeing the Alternating Current Transmission Upgrade proceeding to establish a process by which competing developers could submit new or modified proposals that make greater use of existing transmission corridors. Current proposals include three that call for a 345-kilovolt electric power line to largely follow an existing corridor from Leeds in Greene County through Columbia County and south through Dutchess County. A fourth plan would largely use an existing corridor that runs from Hudson to Kingston and south to Ramapo. Information is available at dps.ny.gov.