Newbie Representatives Michael Arcuri and John Hall are on a quest to make it difficult for NYRI to build its proposed 200-mile high power transmission line that would run from Utica (Arcuri's district) to the Hudson River Valley (Hall's district).

Their latest legislative roadblock took place yesterday when they co-sponsored an amendment that requires a federal review of the NYRI project to make sure it's not a magnet for terrorist attacks. The amendment unanimously passed the House.

Arcuri said the large transmission towers are easy targets for anyone wanting to disrupt the power grid.

What passed was an amendment to the Rail and Public Transportation Security Act that will require federal Homeland Security and Transportation officials to study the security risk of the project.

It's now off to the Senate for consideration.