The Champlain Hudson transmission line has received initial approval from the New York State Public Service Commission.  The transmission line will be capable of transmitting 1,000 megawatts of hydropower from Quebec to New York City.   Estimated to take at least three years to construct, the 335-mile line will be built under Lake Champlain and the Hudson River, and could provide up to 10% of New York City’s power demands and reduce power costs in that market.   The plan’s approval is controversial, however, leaving some to wonder whether New York’s own generating plants could, with upgrades to the State’s transmission grid, provide the same energy more reliably, and less expensively, from right here in New York State.