The 24-mile Cross-Sound Cable has been a sticky subject for Connecticut and New York officials for more than a year, and now it's at the heart of a struggle over state rights that is moving to Congress.
Sections of a congressional bill dealing with electricity are being written this week and are expected to be released soon. The sections may or may not include wording that would allow the federal government to intervene if states take too long to approve a power line.
If a law did include such a provision, it could be a regrettable mistake.
In this matter, Connecticut's case to have the Cross-Sound Cable turned off is clear, simple and logical.
The cable was first commercially activated in the wake of the Aug. 14 blackout when U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham contended an emergency situation existed. He later extended the order indefinitely, saying emergency conditions still exist.
But the point is that the cable does not meet environmental regulations for about 700 feet in New Haven Harbor. The Cross-Sound Cable Co. ignored warnings from state Sen. George Gunther, R-Stratford, and others who cautioned that the harbor's natural state would hinder the proper positioning of the cable.
Of course the Cross-Sound Cable Co. contends the line has done no environmental damage to the Sound. They may be right. But it's a more important issue that energy companies do not become free to break state law in the name of commercial opportunity.
If it weren't for Connecticut's current moratorium on cables and pipelines in the Sound, the state might be faced with as many as a dozen applications from utilities to crisscross the Sound. What would happen if none of them fully met their permit requirements?.
Thus, we're happy to see that Secretary Abraham is taking state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal's filed appeal and request for reconsideration of the federal order seriously.
We hope Abraham reverses course on his previous decision, demonstrating that the willful neglect of the law demonstrated by Cross-Sound won't be tolerated.
