by Carol Thompson

Oswego County officials said they are breathing a sigh of relief after learning a proposed high-power transmission line might be running though existing lines in the City of Watertown instead of the Village of Pulaski.

Upstate Power has proposed to construct a wind farm on Galloo Island, off the shore in Hounsfield, along with a new power line with the capability of transporting 1,000 megawatts south to service downstate consumers.

The 230-kilovolt line had been proposed to run from Galloo Island through the towns of Henderson, Ellisburg, Sandy Creek, and Richland, as well as the Village of Pulaski to a proposed substation and interconnection with existing transmission lines in Mexico.

The Jefferson County Legislature met Tuesday evening and, after hearing comment from the public, approved the payment-in-lieu-of tax (PILOT) agreement for the wind farm.

Earlier in the day, Upstate Power had offered a $3.5 million community fund and job guarantees in a last-minute effort to entice Jefferson County legislators to vote for the PILOT agreement, it was reported in that area’s media.

Jefferson County Legislature Chairman Kenneth Blankenbush said at Tuesday’s meeting that the offer was not for new money but for funds the developer had previously agreed to spend in the community. The offer merely went from a verbal to a written agreement, he said.

Approval of the 20-year PILOT agreement allows the wind farm developer to move forward in securing the necessary permit. The Jefferson County board now can push for an overland route that will end at the Coffeen Street substation in Watertown.

Legislator Shawn Doyle of Pulaski said that is good news for Oswego County.

“I’m just grateful to the Jefferson County Legislature for not forcing this transmission line on us,” Doyle said following the meeting. “We’ve protected the community and the farmers.”

The Village of Pulaski and the surrounding area is a main source of tourism dollars, and both the village and the county rely on fishing, boating, and recreation. The village has spent millions of dollars to bury its infrastructure and officials have said they are concerned that above-ground power lines would ruin the aesthetics of their community and negatively impact the tourism industry.

Doyle has been actively involved with the proposed project since its inception and has been working with Jefferson County officials in an attempt to force the developer to bury the transmission lines under ground or under water.

While the project has been supported by the union employees in Jefferson County, some of whom could benefit from the construction jobs the project will bring to the area, there has been little public support from Oswego County residents.

Under the agreement, the developer must hire half of the labor from local trade unions through a project-labor agreement. One-quarter of those hired would come from outside the region and the remaining quarter must come from Jefferson County.

Oswego County would not receive direct economic benefits from the project, and property owners expressed concern that they might lose their land in eminent domain proceedings.

Oswego County Legislature Chairman Barry Leemann said Wednesday morning that he was “very happy” to hear that the lines won’t be running through the Pulaski area.

“We have never tried to force anything that would negatively impact Jefferson County and we appreciate that they wouldn’t push anything that would negatively impact Oswego County,” he said. “The new route still needs approval from the state Public Service Commission.”

Former state senator and U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador H. Douglas Barclay has been representing Leemann who has been busy in negotiations with Entergy Nuclear in regard to its tax agreement.

Leemann praised Barclay for the work he has done on his behalf.

“The community, the legislators, and Mr. Barclay have done an exceptional job,” he said. “Mr. Barclay has really put a lot of work into this.”

Doyle said he will continue to work with officials from Jefferson County to encourage them to keep the transmission lines out of Oswego County.