CHENANGO COUNTY – An amendment introduced by Congressman Michael Arcuri (D-Utica) that would require the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to evaluate the safety of running high-voltage power lines along railroad tracks will go to vote in the House of Representatives today.
The revision was accepted Monday night in the House Rules Committee, of which Arcuri is a member.
If passed, the amendment – which was crafted in response to the recent train derailment in Oneida and the yet-to-be-approved New York Regional Interconnect Inc. power line proposal – would revise the Rail & Public Transportation Security Act. Listed as bill H.R. 1401, the alteration would require homeland security and the U.S. Department of Transportation to assess the possible “vulnerabilities” of erecting a high-voltage direct current transmission line (such as www.evesun.com/topics/news/NYRI/">NYRI’s) on railroad right of ways, Arcuri’s office reported.
“After the Oneida train derailment just weeks ago, the possibility of running a huge electric utility line along a railroad rights-of-way raises grave safety concerns,” Arcuri said in press release Monday, referring to NYRI. “We need to thoroughly investigate the security risks posed by this route before we can move forward.”
www.evesun.com/topics/news/NYRI/">NYRI’s line would use roughly 45 miles of active New York Susquehanna & Western tracks from Utica to Woods Corners, although the stretch from Sherburne headed south is currently out of use due to flood damage. The NYS&W is currently deciding whether or not to abandon the broken stretch permanently.
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