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October 4, 2006
Pataki Signs Bill Limiting the Use of Eminent Domain to Build High-Voltage Power Lines
Gov. George E. Pataki signed into law yesterday a bill that would substantially impede a project to build a $1.6 billion transmission line that promised to bring cheap electricity into New York City but raise prices upstate.
The new law restricts the use of eminent domain to build certain high-voltage electricity transmission lines, particularly the 190-mile-long proposed line that would run from Utica in upstate New York to the Hudson Valley, and from there into New York City and Long Island.
...
The new law represents an ideological departure for Mr. Pataki, who has supported energy deregulation and advocated business development throughout his tenure.“Through this law, we will establish additional protections for communities across New York State,” Mr. Pataki said in a statement released by his office. “These new restrictions help to clarify the rights of a community and its residents and will uphold their interests with regard to certain projects involving eminent domain.”
NoLandGrab: It remains to be seen if editorial boards appreciate the irony that Governor Pataki signed legislation banning the use of eminent domain to build power lines, but still supports its use for Bruce Ratner's basketball arena.
The article frames the issue as a clash between upstate and downstate interests. Property rights advocates note that since the bill can be overturned any number of ways, it is mainly political posturing.
The "ideological departure," as the Times calls it, could have as much to do with Pataki's presidential ambitions as upstate-downstate politics. The first Governor of NY to promote an ethanol policy has given himself a leg-up on the issue of eminent domain, an important conservative position.
Also, is it just us, or is anyone else noticing that Pataki has recently started picking up a Mid-Western twang?
Posted by lumi at October 4, 2006 8:55 AM