Rockland County Withholds Signing CHPE PILOT Until Small Business Impacts are Addressed

NEW CITY— Rockland County Executive Ed Day and County Legislature Chairman Jay Hood Jr. announced on Oct. 17 that the county would be withholding entering into a PILOT Agreement (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) with Champlain Hudson Power Express on its pipeline work in the county until funds are provided for small businesses and residents.

All other impacted municipalities have previously signed respective 30-year PILOT agreements with CHPE leaving Rockland County as the only hold-out.

“This project has caused real and measurable harm to our community,” declared Rockland County Executive Ed Day. “Small businesses are losing customers, residents are facing constant disruptions, cars and properties are sustaining damage by the work, and our first responders are facing delays that could literally cost lives. That is unacceptable.”

In addition to multiple communications with CHPE representatives, County Legislators, the County Executive, and County staff met with the company representatives twice. At the most recent meeting on Sept. 11, the county pushed for proper compensation for impacted small businesses, damaged public property, and traffic control devices.

“As someone who lives in Haverstraw, I’ve had enough — and so have our residents,” Legislative Chairman Jay Hood said. “CHPE’s ongoing disruptions have made daily life a nightmare, damaging our roads, clogging our traffic, and hitting our vehicles with extreme wear and tear. Worse, our local businesses are paying a steep price, losing the customers and revenue they depend on to survive. CHPE has a responsibility to the community, and they need to create a serious business relief fund. They also need to cover the costs of long-term traffic control devices needed on local roads. Yes, they have provided funding to the other municipalities, however it is not enough and the County of Rockland needs to be included as well.”

Champlain Hudson Power Express released a statement in connection with the dispute with the county, stating: “CHPE has fully negotiated and completed PILOT discussions with all involved taxing jurisdictions in Rockland County, creating revenue certainty for years to come. Construction of the CHPE transmission line will wrap up in Rockland this fall, and the project will begin operation in Spring of 2026.”

The company later announced that access on the James Farley Bridge in Stony Point resumed on Monday, Oct. 20. The return of traffic across the bridge allows for the removal of the Lowland Hill detour, as well as the alternate truck route through the Village of West Haverstraw. Motorists are urged to pay close attention to posted signage and observe all speed limits. As part of the CHPE’s permitting process, Department of Transportation engineers and inspectors, along with third-party engineers and inspectors, have been on-site daily and confirmed the Farley Bridge is safe and ready for normal operations.

“CHPE extends its continued appreciation to the North Rockland community and elected leaders for their patience during this significant period of construction,” said Jennifer Laird-White, Senior Vice President of External Affairs for Transmission Developers. “We are also grateful to our construction teams for their continued efforts to adapt work plans and traffic configurations in response to feedback from elected officials, residents, and local businesses. The reopening of the James Farley Bridge as we approach completion of all CHPE installation work along 9W is a significant milestone and we look forward to project operation next spring.”

Nightwork will continue along 9W for the next two weeks, with crews focused on backfill of excavations and asphalt work, as well as culvert repair. In addition, CHPE’s work to relocate selected gas piping is more than 50% complete. That work will continue into December with a possible pause for winter, and subsequent resumption in the spring of 2026.

All remaining CHPE transmission cable installation will occur on private parcels in Rockland County and is expected to be completed by the end of 2025. The CHPE project team will continue to provide updates on the status of final CHPE work through local media and our regular newsletter updates. Once all work is complete in 2026, CHPE will perform a full mill and curb-to-curb repaving, along with any necessary drainage work, on Route 9W.

CHPE is providing $9 million in streetscape improvement funding to the towns and villages to benefit business districts along Route 9W. The town of Stony Point, along with the villages of Haverstraw and West Haverstraw, will begin implementing new CHPE-funded 9W streetscape designs later next year.