Seward Offers On-line Petition Against Nyri

Senator James L. Seward has announced an on-line petition drive for residents to register their opposition to the plan of New York Regional Interconnect (NYRI) to string a power line from Oneida County to Orange County, through Herkimer and Chenango Counties in Seward’s district.

Seward said residents can sign the petition on his website at http://www.senatorjimseward.com . The petition is marked "Join the Fight."

"I certainly need to know that residents back the efforts of their state legislators to defeat NYRI’s proposal," Senator Seward said. "Residents who sign my petition provide important support as I intervene in the Article VII siting process and develop a strategy with local officials to unite our efforts in opposition to the proposal."

Seward has asked the Public Service Commission to ensure a state review of the plan and avoid a federal pre-emption. He has joined Sen. Raymond Meier in asking the state Senate Energy Committee to conduct a hearing on the proposal.

Previous successful petition efforts mounted by Seward helped defeat the DMV’s plan to renew auto inspections three different times in the same month and resulted in a law capping the state sales tax on gasoline at $2 per gallon.

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