LOUISVILLE: Governor Announces Plans for Land Transfer— Gov. George E. Pataki announced on May 23 that the Power Authority will transfer approximately 800 acres at its St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project to local governments in St. Lawrence County. The properties, which will be transferred to the towns of Lisbon, Louisville, Massena and Waddington, were acquired by NYPA in the mid-1950s for development of the project but are now considered unnecessary for project operations or environmental or recreational purposes. "I'm pleased that the state agencies in my administration have worked together to return these lands to the hard-working people who know the area's needs best," Governor Pataki said at a press conference here. State Sens. James Wright and Raymond Meier and Assembly Members Dierdre Scozzafava and Chris Ortloff lent their support for the initiative. Several agencies facilitated the land transfer by allowing the Power Authority to waive requirements that would have severely restricted the use of the parcels. The return of the properties to the towns is subject to a vote by Power Authority trustees, which is expected in June. Future development proposals will be subject to the State Environmental Quality Review Act.

LITTLE FALLS: Power for Jobs^TM Protects 540 Jobs at Hospital— Little Falls Hospital has pledged to retain 540 jobs in return for an award of low-cost electricity through Gov. George E. Pataki's Power for Jobs program. "I'm happy to announce this allocation, which will help Little Falls Hospital continue to provide high-quality health care to the citizens of the Mohawk Valley," Power Authority Chairman Joseph J. Seymour said at a May 9 press conference at the hospital. The power will save the hospital about $24,000 a year on its electricity bills. Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, who supported the hospital’s application for the economical electricity, praised the efforts of the Governor, state Sen. James Seward and Assemblyman Mark Butler in creating the Power for Jobs program “to help Little Falls Hospital and others meet the challenge of reducing their energy costs.” Power for Jobs, administered by NYPA, is linked to more than a quarter-million jobs at businesses and not-for-profit organizations across the state. The program provides $8 million in savings for 54 hospitals, helping them maintain 96,000 health-care jobs.

ALBANY: NYPA President Elected to EPRI Board—Gene Zeltmann, the Power Authority's president and chief operating officer, has been elected to a four-year term on the board of directors of EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute), the Palo Alto, Calif.,-based center for public-interest energy and environmental research. Since his appointment to the NYPA posts in 1997, Zeltmann has provided leadership for a wide range of Power Authority technical initiatives, including extensive cooperative efforts with EPRI. NYPA is currently installing the world's most advanced transmission control device at its Marcy Substation, near Utica, as part of EPRI's Flexible Alternative Current Transmission Systems (FACTS) program. The Power Authority and EPRI have also developed partnerships in other areas, ranging from inspecting and maintaining transmission lines to monitoring hydropower equipment to developing technologies for reducing nitrogen oxide emissions from power plants. Currently co-chair of the Electric Vehicle Association of the Americas, Zeltmann is a former commissioner of the New York State Public Service Commission.

ALBANY: Tour de Sol Stages Mid-Race Rally—NYPA President Gene Zeltmann and senior state government officials turned out for a daylong festival of American Tour de Sol activities at Empire State Plaza on May 23, midway through the eight-day electric-vehicle (EV) road rally. The race, partially sponsored by the Power Authority, began in Waterbury, Conn., on May 19 and was scheduled to end in Boston on May 26. In Albany, more than 50 electric cars, pick-ups and scooters, and futuristic fuel cell- , solar-, ethanol- and hydrogen-powered vehicles were clustered on the front lawn of the State House, with visitors invited to take test drives or tour a unique Made in New York exhibit of locally manufactured EVs and components. NYPA has continued its support of the Sunpacer, the entry of a student team from Cato-Meridian High School in Cayuga County, in this year's Tour de Sol. Rally participants earn points for their vehicles’ daily reliability, range, acceleration, handling, hill-climbing ability and fuel economy.

NIAGARA COUNTY: Grant Spurs NYPA Energy-Efficiency Drive— Gov. George E. Pataki announced on May 10 that Niagara County will receive a $450,000 grant to help fund $1.3 million in energy-saving measures planned by the Power Authority at 20 public buildings in the county. The grant, from the Petroleum Overcharge Restitution Fund, will cut by one-third the cost of the improvements, which will save county taxpayers more than $130,000 annually. State Sens. George Maziarz and Byron Brown and Assembly Members David Seaman and Francine Del Monte brought the Niagara County initiative to the Governor’s attention. Following an extensive public facilities audit, NYPA will retrofit lighting and install new heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment and windows in buildings ranging from the courthouse in Lockport to the Civic and Human Resources buildings in Niagara Falls and the county building in North Tonawanda. The county Health Department and Public Works buildings are also targeted. NYPA will recover its share of the funding by sharing in the energy savings.

MASSENA: NYPA, Employees Assist With Coles Creek Cleanup— Employees at the Power Authority's St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project and members of their families joined other volunteers from a coalition of local and state organizations in a massive cleanup of Coles Creek State Park in celebration of Earth Day 2001. Some 225 volunteers collected more than three tons of refuse in the April 21 effort. NYPA provided a truck to transport some of the trash, of which more than 5,500 pounds were landfilled and 680 pounds recycled. A grant from the state Soil and Water Conservation Committee funded the cleanup, T-shirts and refreshments.

In the Community: Joanne Willmott, NYPA's community relations manager for Western New York, spoke on the Power Authority: Benefiting Western New York, at a dinner meeting of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Niagara Falls, May 23….The Power Authority co-sponsored the White Plains Department of Recreation’s Soap Box Derby, May 20….More than four dozen plants were presented to mothers who came to NYPA's Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project visitors center on Mother's Day, North Blenheim, May 13.… NYPA staff members continued to update community leaders and local officials on the small gas turbine-generators NYPA is installing in New York City to meet the peak electricity demand this summer. Meetings were held with Bronx Community Board #1 and Staten Island Community Board #1, May 16; Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer, May 15; and state Sen. Vincent Gentile, May 10….Ron Ciamaga, NYPA's regional manager for Northern New York, presented a NYPA check for $2,000 to the Massena Memorial Hospital during the hospital's Radio-Telethon fundraiser, May 11….Some 150 students from 17 schools in four North Country counties participated in the NYPA co-sponsored 4th annual North Adirondack Regional Envirothon, Paul Smiths, May 8.