NY Transco Adds Agriculture Inspector to Project Team

As we prepare for the start of construction on the New York Energy Solution electric transmission upgrade project in 2021, New York Transco is pleased to announce that a full-time Agriculture Inspector has been added to our project team. 

Jim Fricke comes to the Hudson Valley from Lancaster County, PA, where he grew up and where farming is a way of life. Jim will serve as the primary liaison to the agriculture community in the event that there are questions or concerns about our project and its impact on agriculture activities. On a day-to-day basis, he will monitor construction, ensure contractors understand and comply with all agriculture-specific regulatory requirements, and oversee the restoration of agricultural lands impacted by the project.

Jim serves as an environmental specialist with Burns & McDonnell, the national engineering and environmental services firm. For the past year, his responsibilities included oversight of soil management practices, erosion and sediment control, natural resources permitting, stormwater management and neighbor relations for an electric utility project in Harrisburg, PA. Prior to that, he served for three years as an environmental regulator with the Lancaster County Conservation District, where he was responsible for ensuring that a wide variety of commercial and residential building projects complied with all applicable environmental and agricultural regulations. In this role, he also worked closely with farmers and other agriculture interests to help them navigate the regulatory process during expansion and improvement projects.

Jim describes himself as “a conservationist and an environmentalist,” and says, “Coming from Lancaster County, I understand how very important farming is to the social and economic fabric of the community. I can’t wait to get my boots on the ground and meet everyone up there.”

Anyone with agriculture-related questions about the NYES project is encouraged to contact Jim at (475) 215-0382 or jnfricke@burnsmcd.com