NEW YORK, NY July 11, 2006 —The sound of all those air conditioners humming on a humid day like today is a reminder that summer is the peak season for energy demand, and that demand in New York City is projected to exceed our power generating capacity in the next six years.

One proposal to expand that capacity is the New York Regional Interconnection project, a fancy name for a 190-mile-long stretch of high voltage transmission towers that would run through rural communities in the scenic Upper Delaware River valley, and bring cheap, surplus energy from upstate generators to New York city and its suburbs.

The project is fiercely opposed by the communities along its route -- Otisville, Callicoon, Hancock, to name a few -- but a recent federal law may not give them any say in the matter. The New York Times Anthony De Palma wrote a story about this project in yesterday's issue