Rockland County Executive Ed Day, Town of Stony Point Supervisor Jim Monaghan, and Congressman Mike Lawler whose 17th Congressional District includes all of Rockland County, were among those who gathered at Malloy Park in Stony Point to demand help for businesses that have been hurt by construction of a new power line that will carry 1,250 megawatts of electricity into New York City. A megawatt is one million watts of electricity.
The Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) transmission line is being built underground along an approximately 339-mile path from Canada to the city. It is expected to deliver about 20% of the city’s electrical needs.
Construction work has been underway in the Towns of Stony Point, Haverstraw and Clarkstown and the Villages of West Haverstraw and Haverstraw. Stony Point has experienced severe disruptions to the point that some businesses have been cut off from their customer base, resulting in up to 75% losses of revenue. Construction along Route 9W from Colonial Plaza south to Helen Hayes Hospital has produced severe traffic impacts. While CHPE offered $150,000 to help local businesses, local leaders say much more is needed.
“We’ve all witnessed the devastation this project has caused to our small business owners and Stony Point residents,” Monaghan told a news conference. “Simply put, this project has been nothing but a nightmare. We’ve been continually misled from the very beginning. This project has affected all of North Rockland, but the most devastating impact has been right here in Stony Point.”
Stephanie Melowsky, president of the North Rockland Camber of Commerce, said that about 100 businesses have been devastated by the construction project, cutting hours, laying off employees and even shutting down. She said that so far the data collected by the Chamber of Commerce shows that businesses have lost about $10 million in business compared with what they had done in 2024.
Lawler called on state officials to establish a small business relief program and improve communication and project oversight to protect residents and first responders.
“Anyone with common sense knows you don’t shut down a main thoroughfare and tell residents and small businesses to figure it out. Yet that’s exactly what we’ve seen,” Lawler said. “Family shops that have served the community for decades are hanging by a thread. CHPE’s so-called small business fund, about $150,000, doesn’t even begin to cover the damage. It’s not relief. It’s an insult.”
Lawler said that CHPE must “step and do more for the North Rockland community and small businesses that are being impacted. It’s not just the small businesses paying the price. For weeks on end, 24 hours a day residents have been woken up by jackhammers, backup alarms and car horns from traffic backed up for blocks. Families can’t seep; kids are late for school; seniors can’t get out of their driveways. fire, police and EMS units are losing precious minutes trying to navigate closures and detours, minutes that can mean the difference between life and death.”
Day noted that when businesses lose revenue so does government, which collect sales and income taxes. He blamed the situation on Gov. Kathy Hochul and others for failing to properly plan for the aftermath of shutting down the Indian Point nuclear power station.
“Revenues drop at every level of government,” Day said. “This is a countywide issue that must be addressed. This project is a direct result of the state’s failure to plan for that loss of power. The need that Indian Point once met is what’s driving this project, and that responsibility lies squarely with the state and with CHPE.”
