TRANSMISSION LINES IN THE HUDSON---AN EDITORIAL---DENNIS M. KOONEY
On Friday, April 26th the Croton Yacht Club sponsored a seminar presented by the Riverkeeper organization on ‘Transmission Lines in the Hudson River: What you need to know about the Champlain Hudson Power Express Project and Clean Path Project”.
I want to begin by stating that this editorial is strictly based upon my observations and personal opinions and does not in any way represent the position and or opinion of the Croton Yacht Club membership.
As presented, New York finalized contracts for Clean Path, NY and Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) to deliver onshore wind and solar energy from upstate New York and hydroelectric power from Canada to New York City. A significant portion of each transmission line route will be submerged under the Hudson River. Both projects will reduce fossil fuel-fired generation and prevent millions of tons of CO2 emissions which contribute to climate change.
During the seminar, representatives from Riverkeeper provided an overview of the Clean Path and CHPE transmission projects. This overview included a description of each project, status update on each project, and a discussion of the potential environmental impacts.
To summarize, the Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) involves installing two five-inch diameter 1,250 MW high tension electric transmission cables underground and underwater and run 339 miles from the US-Canadian border along and under the Hudson River ending at a converter station in Astoria, Queens. In order to protect sturgeon habitat in Havestraw Bay, the cables will be routed on land between Stony Point and Clarkstown. The CHPE project has secured all necessary approvals and is underway.
The Clean Path project involves construction of a 175-mile underground and underwater 1,300 MW transmission line designed to deliver 7.5 million MWh of solar and wind generated emissions-free electricity each year to New York City. The project proposed route will initiate at the Fraser Substation in Delaware County traverse terrestrially to Newburgh where it will enter the river and exit at Charles Point in Peekskill. The route will then follow the Rt 9 corridor entering Croton, traverse east of Half Moon Bay Drive to Croton Point Ave, out to and along Croton Road, entering the river at or near Tellers Point where it will travel in the river South to NYC. Like the CHPE project, Clean Path has been restricted from entering Havestraw Bay in order to protect this environmentally sensitive habitat. The Clean Path project is still under review and has not yet been approved to start construction.
From what I have gleamed from attending public and private information sessions on these projects, there is one glaring issue which in my opinion has not been adequately addressed in the environmental review process and that is the potential impact of electromagnetic fields on the aquatic habitat along the proposed routes. My concern is that not enough research has been done to definitively establish a safe depth at which electromagnetic fields (EMF) which surround the cables would not impact the aquatic habitat.
The Hudson River is one of the most important spawning estuaries on the east coast for endangered and protected species of Atlantic sturgeon and other threatened species including the American eel, striped bass and American Shad. These and other species seasonally traverse the reaches of the Hudson to spawn and propagate. It is known that once imprinted to a specific body of water, fish utilize magnetic fields to help navigate back to their spawning grounds. Also, some species utilize magnetic fields to locate and forage for food.
Studies have shown that EMF fields can influence migrating fish and some feeding activities dependent upon their proximity to and the strength of the EMF field. We also know that EMF fields of submerged cables degrade depending on the depth and type of cover.
Initially, the approved installation depth of the CHPE project was to be 15’ below the river bottom in the river channel to protect against anchor damage. Currently CHPE is petitioning the Public Service Commission to reduce the installation depth within the river channel to as shallow as 9’. The permitted design depth outside of the channel is questionable but it is known that the current depth limit of the jet plow being used is seven feet.
In my opinion, the environmental assessment process needs to be reopened to include a scientific assessment of necessary installation depths required to minimize impacts of EMF on the aquatic environment. This assessment must be done using the maximum carrying capacity of these transmission cables to account for future increases.
It is generally agreed upon that these and future projects are necessary to satisfy increasing demands on energy by targeting clean and sustainable generation sources in order to meet climate change initiatives, However, these projects must be constructed in such a way as to minimize immediate and long-term negative impact to the environment, especially within such a sensitive and vulnerable ecosystem as the Hudson River.
We all know the history of the catastrophic environmental damages done to the river due to the lack of initial protections and long-term oversight. We have witnessed the remarkable results of decades of initiatives and efforts required to protect and restore the health of the river.
Historically, The Hudson River Fishermen’s Association led by Croton resident Robert Boyle successfully stopped the ill-conceived Storm King Mountain project which started the environmental movement in the Hudson River Valley. This movement spawned the Riverkeeper organization which is now the primary advocate and steward of the river. Riverkeeper is currently addressing these issues with the appropriate parties but public comment is also encouraged to express concerns about these outstanding issues. Please visit the Riverkeeper website utilizing this link:(right click to open) Urge the PSC to deny CHPE's construction plans for a more shallow burial of transmission cables in the Hudson River - Riverkeeper to comment about CHPE’s petition to the PSC. You can also submit other comments via the website. May 13th is the deadline to submit comments to the PSC regarding these two projects. It is also very impactful to contact your state and federal officials regarding this matter.
Going forward, there will be further pressures on the river for similar transmission installations because it is more cost effective for contractors to use the riverbed over land installation. We must fight to get this right in order to ensure construction is done in a such a way as to minimize environmental damage to this delicate and critical ecosystem.
Respectfully, Dennis M. Kooney
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