Many elected state officials have aligned themselves against a proposed 1,200-megawatt power line, whose 200-mile route would cut through Broome, Chenango and Delaware counties.

     At several public meetings sponsored by the company that wants to spend $1 billion to build the transmission line, many local residents also have voiced opposition in recent weeks, including hundreds at Norwich High School where an overflow crowd prompted officials to limit seating.

     Opposition is so strong in some geographical areas that Assemblyman Gary Finch, R-Springport, said his office hasn't received a single letter, e-mail or telephone call in support of the proposal, not even from the company that wants to build the power line. In almost six years in office, Finch said he has always received at least one letter in support of an issue.

     "I'm going to stand alongside the people in my district who are opposed to this power line," said Finch, whose district includes the towns of Sherburne and North Norwich in Chenango County, where the transmission line would run south from its converter site in the Town of Marcy, north of the City Utica in Oneida County. "We're going to bring pressure on the Public Service Commission to make them aware that there's opposition to this."

     The state commission will ultimately make a decision on the proposal by New York Regional Interconnect Inc., a private company based in Albany.

     The project also must get federal regulatory approval before NYRI could start building the power line.

     NYRI has said the power line is necessary to carry electricity from parts of the state with a surplus to downstate regions with high demand. At NYRI's informational sessions, project manager William G. May has said public resistance tends to subside after people understand the full details of the project.

     On its Web site, NYRI touts the project as offering "economic, environmental and reliability benefits" to consumers, but offers no specific information about the benefits.

     Several elected representatives along the proposed route have begun to lobby the PSC to stop the proposed project, which many have called unnecessary and unsightly along its proposed route through mostly rural countryside.

     Finch has already met with a PSC member to register his opposition, he said.

     Sen. Thomas W. Libous, R-Binghamton, said Wednesday he will join a group of state lawmakers at a meeting next week with the commission in Albany to express his opposition.

     "I'm against it. There's absolutely no value to our region," said Libous, who initially voiced his opposition several weeks ago. "This is something we don't need. This will only benefit New York City."

     NYRI's preferred route for the transmission line would cut through several Chenango County towns in Assemblyman Clifford W. Crouch's district. Crouch, R-Guilford, said countless telephone calls and letters to his office clearly show constituents are overwhelmingly opposed to the idea, which many contend takes advantage of rural upstate for the benefit of New York City.

     "The residents who will be forced to drive alongside the power line's towers and stare at them through their windows will see no benefit from the line's electricity," Crouch said Wednesday. "The power line is set to serve only those residents in New York City and the surrounding areas while merely using land in my district to transport their own energy."

     In his multi-county Assembly district, the proposed line would go through the towns of Norwich, Guilford, Sanford, Deposit and Hancock.

     "My constituents have repeatedly stood up against the construction of this power line, and I will fight on their behalf to ensure our communities are not tainted by yet another New York City interest," he said.

     Outside of the Southern Tier, other elected officials also seem firmly united against the proposal.

     State Sen. John J. Bonacic, R-Mount Hope, said Wednesday that he had posted a link on his Web site -- www.senatorbonacic.com-- for people to sign a petition against the proposal.

     "The people of the communities where the proposed power line will be sited deserve to have their views, concerns and position heard," Bonacic said in a news release. "I am providing a venue for which people can express their positions."

     Bonacic's district includes the portions of Delaware and Sullivan counties where the power line travels on a southeast route from Broome to its downstate destination in the Town of New Windsor in Orange County.

     Sen. James Seward, R-Oneonta, has voiced strong opposition to the project, as well.

     "The power line means one thing: continued exploitation of upstate New York to serve downstate interests," said Seward, whose district includes the towns of Sherburne and North Norwich. "My message to (the company) will continue to be 'Not here, not now, not ever.' "

     A handful of elected officials, including Libous, Seward and Sen. Raymond Meier, R-Oneida County, want the Senate Energy and Communications Committee to hold hearings where the power company would be required to answer questions about their plan.

     "This will give us an opportunity to bring these officials in, put them under oath and ask them questions," Meier said.