FINCH APPLAUDS GOVERNOR FOR SIGNING EMINENT DOMAIN LAW

     Assemblyman Gary Finch (R, C - Springport) announced Wednesday he is gratified Governor Pataki signed an eminent domain bill that will make it difficult for New York Regional Interconnect (NYRI) to build a high-voltage power line through the heart of Central New York and the Southern Tier, saying “the Governor’s signing of this bill is very welcome news, and he is to be applauded for making such a bold and courageous decision.”

     Finch was a co-sponsor of the Assembly’s version of the bill, legislation that takes away any possible right on NYRI’s part to seize private property so they could build certain sections of the 1,200-volt transmission line -- an eyesore, Finch said, that would not only be a blight on scenic Upstate landscapes, but the source of increased electricity prices for local residents. Furthermore, Finch commended the activists in his district who phoned and wrote the Governor’s office requesting that he sign this legislation into law.

     “It is simply wrong for a company that has proven so secretive in its dealings with the public over the past eight months to believe it somehow has the right to take land from private owners at fire-sale prices,” Finch said. “As legislators, we need to be aggressive in charting new rules for eminent domain seizures in light of the far-reaching Supreme Court decision of 2005.”

     In that decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the City of New London, Connecticut had the right to take private lands and turn it over to a developer so, in large part; more tax revenue could be raised for the city.

     Finch is a member of the Assembly’s Energy Committee, as well as the Subcommittee on Alternative Energy. He is also a member of the Agriculture Committee, acting as a voice for his rural constituency that would be greatly affected by the NYRI line.

     Despite the good news Tuesday, Finch warned that more work still needs to be done to make sure this transmission line never makes it from proposal to reality.

     “We must still keep applying pressure to the federal government, pointing out that there are far better ways to meet the New York City’s future electricity needs without ruining large swaths of Upstate New York in the process,” said Finch.
 

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10/4/06