The big guns were out in full force earlier this week for the Public Service Commission's evidentiary hearings about the proposed New York Regional Interconnect (NYRI), a high-voltage transmission line that would run 190 miles between Marcy and Orange County.

The proposed route for New York Regional Interconnect.Lawyers for Communities Against Regional Interconnect made sure the group's position was abundantly clear: the line is not need and will have adverse effects on the environment and economy.

One argument for building the controversial line seemed to be undercut when George Vanderheyden, chief executive of UniStar Nuclear Energy, testified that his company does not need additional transmission lines to carry power from its planned new nuclear power plant in Scriba.    

However, David Kalson, a spokesman for for NYRI, countered, "Without the line, congestion and inefficiency would continue to mount, leading to brownouts and blackouts.  It's a matter of efficiency."