About Us
The Upstate New York Citizens Alliance Inc. was organized to unite, through local chapters, communities of Upstate New York on issues affecting our upstate area.
Our objective is to become informed and educated on issues, and to make this information known to our communities. In so doing, we can speak with one voice, when correction or remedy is necessary, to work with the appropriate powers to protect, manage, develop, and secure Upstate New York's communities. Our areas of concern include, but are not limited to: development, economy, environment, health and wellness, resources and tourism.
Our desires are to maintain and to improve the quality of life of our individual and collective regions of Upstate New York, and to secure this commitment for future generations.
Our means of addressing issues is through an organizational structure which allows the exchange of information, ideas and research from our citizens to their local chapter (towns, villages, cities), to their district (counties or regions), then to the Upstate New York Citizens Alliance, which acts corporately on behalf of the area.
The structural flexibility allows each individual community to address concerns at a local level, or to utilize the resources of the Upstate New York Citizens Alliance.
Committees
Fundraising Committee
Click here for the address to SEND DONATIONS, and for LAWN SIGN and T-SHIRT sources.
The Upstate NY Citizens Alliance has established a Citizens' Action Fund to pay for legal counsel and other associated costs to assist in our efforts to stop the current NYRI proposed power line, and other similar projects which may affect the quality of life in our communities.
Monetary donations and the contributions received for lawn signs and T-shirts, go directly into the Citizens' Action Fund.
Much of the research, outreach, and materials associated with this current campaign has been generously donated by volunteer members of our community, and many of the costs have been covered by individual and corporate members of our community.
Communications / Marketing / PR Committee
Objectives:
- Schedule politicians' appearances at public and private meetings.
- Create a strong relationship with the media
- Alert the media by email, fax and phone and confirm by phone the receipt of all media advisories and press releases
- Attempt to get a commitment for media presence at each event.
- Alert citizens, officials and other interested parties to upcoming meetings and events and news updates.
- Energize citizens by distributing facts about the cause through print materials for distribution at meetings and events.
Environmental Committee
Objectives:
- Contact the NY Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the US Fish & Wildlife
(USF&W) Service and US Congressman Sherwood Boehlert to impress upon
them how this will dramatically and irreparable impact our environment.
- Demand the Commissioner of the DEC conduct an Environmental Impact Study (EIS) now, as set by the NY State statute.
- Research the Protected and Endangered species habitating along the proposed power line route.
- Research the amount of acreage of wetland lying within the path of the proposed line.(Information relating to these two subjects could scientifically
stall the project.)
- Ask for support from every Fish and Game Club to oppose the line and write the DEC to conduct an Environmental Impact Study (EIS).
- Research how the construction of 200+ miles of construction would impact our source of clean water, vitally necessary to our citizens, as well as the flora and fauna of our areas.
Legal Committee
Objectives:
- To maintain an ongoing review by attorneys of property deeds and abstracts seeking documentation which would negate or restrict the right-of-way of a property.
- To retain legal advice for the Upstate New York Citizens Alliance.
- To research cases in which communities succeeded in stopping projects similar to the NYRI project, in order to gather legal, anecdotal and historical information that the Alliance can use in our effort.
Info / Research Committee
Objectives:
- To research all information related to the background of the independent company, New York Regional Interconnect (NYRI), and its affiliates.
- To network with any reputable organization(s) that may have data pertinent to the dealings of this company and/or its affiliates.
- To research and inform all interested parties regarding the path of due diligence as it relates to the formal step-by-step certification application process currently underway by NYRI. Thereby, the Upstate NY Citizens Alliance will monitor the steps that NYRI is required to follow to be in full legal compliance, and will file legal complaints when this compliance is violated or not satisfied.
- To investigate and communicate any information sources that will offer factual, relevant contributions to our organization's mission.
- To inform our steering committee, committee members, community leaders, and citizens about all relevant information as early as possible.
Health Effects Committee
Objectives:
- To exhaustively research the possible health effects of High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) lines and converter stations.
- To make available to the public, information about these effects.
To pass to the Legal and Communications Committees information which relates to their objectives.