Oct 23 - United Press International

The creator of underwater turbine electricity generation says bureaucratic foot-dragging is holding up his innovation from New York City installation.

Trey Taylor, president and co-founder of Virginia-based Verdant Power, says he could install six submerged windmill-like turbines -- each with three 8-foot-long blades -- in the East River, where they would power a Roosevelt Island supermarket and parking lot.

After two years of waiting, the New York state Department of Environmental Conservation approved the project at the beginning of September, but now the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must give a final approval, reported the New York Daily News Sunday.

The regulatory process almost stifles innovation, Taylor lamented. We are making headway, but it's slow and painful.

The turbines use the river's currents to provide electricity in New York City where power lines are overburdened and pollution levels are high, says Taylor.