NORWICH – Norwich’s town board passed a local law Monday that would block the permitting and construction of direct current power lines for the next five years.

Local Law #1 is directed at New York Regional Interconnect Inc., an Albany-based subsidiary of Canadian energy investors looking to build a high voltage power line from Oneida to Orange County. The 190-mile-long facility would carry 400,000 volts of electricity downstate, bisecting six townships in Chenango County with 115-foot-tall steel towers.