Senate Republicans give $1 million to fight power line project

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Republican state Senators are giving one (m) million dollars in taxpayer money to help several upstate counties battle a plan to run a 200-mile power transmission line across New York.

The money will help Oneida, Herkimer, Madison, Chenango, Broome,
Delaware, Ulster, Sullivan and Orange counties fight New York Regional Interconnect's plan to build the power line from Marcy to the lower Hudson Valley.

The Albany-based company says a new high-capacity line is needed to bring power from central and western New York to the New York City area.

But many residents and government leaders in communities along the possible route have come out against the plan, saying it will damage local economies and drive down property values.

G-O-P leaders in the Senate say the money to fight the project will come from discretionary funds that were included as part of this year's state budget.