A high voltage power line could soon run through a picturesque spot along the Hudson River.

"It's like we've been targeted like a red cross that says dig here," said Cortlandt Town Supervisor Dr. Richard Becker.

Becker said he doesn't want the transmission line to come ashore at Lents Cove as is being studied in the Clean Path NY project, a partnership with New York Power Authority, Invenergy and energyRe.

The plan, which is not finalized, includes running a power line 175 miles underground and underwater from Delaware County to Queens.

The $11 billion project would deliver 3,800 megawatts of new in-state solar and wind energy.

"Right now, we have a really clean upstate grid and a fossil fuel-powered downstate grid and to be able to bridge that gap we need to essentially build a back bone that would allow that energy that is produced upstate that is clean to go where it needs to go," said Amy Varghese, of Clean Path NY.

Part of the route being studied includes running under the Hudson River, with a possible land detour at Lents Cove.

The transmission line would then run south along Route 9 before exiting back into the water near Ossining.

Cortlandt is already home to Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant, which is being decommissioned and the Algonquin gas pipeline.

Becker questions why another community can't shoulder this new project, or why another path can't be taken to minimize the impact on his town.

"I think they could stay under the Hudson, they can move further north in the area of Roa Hook, they could go further south from us," he said.
Similar concerns were vented at an informational session on the project at the Ossining Library Tuesday.

Officials said the transmission line must go on land because it has to avoid Haverstraw Bay, which is ecologically sensitive.

"What are the direct environmental impacts to the communities the line needs to pass through," said Ossining Town Supervisor Dana Levenberg.

For now, the state is collecting feedback before finalizing a plan. Construction on the project is expected to begin in 2024 and could be completed as early as 2027. To submit a comment on the project email secretary@dps.ny.gov or call 1-800-335-2120