WHITE PLAINS: Savings From Energy Efficiency Keep Rising— The Power Authority completed 83 energy-efficiency projects at public schools and local and state government facilities across the state in 2001, increasing taxpayers' savings from such projects to more than $72 million a year. The installations range from automated climate controls, room occupancy sensors and advanced electric motors to improved heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems and thousands of highly efficient fluorescent lamps. In addition to providing energy savings, the nearly 1,100 projects that NYPA has completed in the past decade are preventing the release of more than 500,000 tons of greenhouse gases each year. To maintain the program's momentum, the Power Authority has approved $250 million in additional energy-efficiency funding. Governor George E. Pataki's Executive Order 111, issued this fall, calls for all state agencies to reduce their energy consumption by 35 percent by the end of the decade. NYPA provides up-front funding for energy-efficiency improvements and recovers its investment by sharing in the savings.

QUEENS: Examiners Recommend Approval of Plant Proposal— Two examiners for the New York State Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment have recommended that the board approve the Power Authority's application to build a 500-megawatt natural gas-fired combined-cycle power plant in the Astoria section of Queens. The board will consider the Dec. 17 recommended decision in deciding whether to issue a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need for the proposed facility, planned for a site adjacent to NYPA's Charles Poletti Power Project. The examiners conducted a joint legislative/public-statement hearing on the application in Astoria in June, and evidentiary hearings were held in Manhattan in September and October. The combined-cycle plant would be one the cleanest, most efficient power plants ever built in New York City. In making their recommendation, the examiners found that "by using natural gas as its primary fuel (and low-sulfur fuel as a backup), the project is not expected to produce any significant air quality impacts." The combined-cycle plant, scheduled for operation in 2004, would enable NYPA to continue to supply economical electricity to its governmental customers in New York City and Westchester County.

UTICA: NYPA Energy Upgrade Under Way at County Facilities— Construction began earlier this month on one of the Power Authority's most extensive energy-efficiency efforts, a $5.2 million, 13-month project to upgrade lighting and install a range of other energy-saving equipment at 24 Oneida County facilities. The work, scheduled for completion in January 2003, will save county taxpayers more than $500,000 annually through reduced energy and maintenance costs. Facilities targeted for improvements include the county airport, office building and health clinic, as well as buildings of the public works, sheriff's and water-quality and water pollution-control departments. Most of the facilities will receive compact fluorescent lamps, with occupancy sensors to turn off lights in unused rooms. Boilers will be replaced or retrofitted at many locations. Plans also call for installation of premium-efficiency electric motors and energy-management systems. A $1 million state grant from the Petroleum Overcharge Restitution Fund will reduce the cost of the project. The Power Authority will cover other project expenses, and the county will repay NYPA with a share of its energy savings.

STATEN ISLAND: Emission Offsets to Improve Air Quality— Energy-upgrades at a local school, a fuel-cell project and an electric-vehicle initiative are among a series of clean-air measures planned here by the Power Authority as part of a program to offset emissions from NYPA's 10 small gas-turbine generators in New York City. P.S. 13, about a half mile from a NYPA turbine, will receive a new, clean natural gas-fired boiler, producing a 2.5-ton reduction in annual emissions of nitrous and sulfur oxides and particulates. NYPA will also improve the school's air-conditioning system and install high-efficiency lighting. Other measures include the installation of a non-polluting, power-generating fuel cell at the Oakwood Beach wastewater treatment plant and the conversion of eight postal trucks serving the borough to run on electricity. In addition, Staten Island school children will ride in some of the 1,000 city school buses to be fitted with pollution-control systems under the NYPA program. With similar initiatives in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens, where the Authority's other turbines are located, the $23 million program will result in the annual removal of 227 tons of emissions, far above levels expected from the turbines.

LEWISTON: Niagara Employees Capture Holiday Spirit— Employees at NYPA's Niagara Power Project, with the help of Brother Steve Kennedy of Niagara University, have "adopted" 56 deserving area children and a family of six to receive holiday gift boxes and food. Each child's gift box contains a toy, a winter coat, a hat, gloves, a sweatshirt, sweatpants, underwear and pajamas, and costs about $70. Employees also donated about $150 worth of health and personal care products to Passage House, an abused women's shelter. In addition, the project's Safety, Security and Environmental Department chose a single family, nominated by a local school teacher, for its holiday giving. Department members collected more than $800 for toys, clothing, footwear, blankets, canned and dried food goods. St. Teresa's Church, Niagara Falls, contributed a family Christmas dinner with all the trimmings.

MASSENA: St. Lawrence-FDR Staff Tops in Holiday Food Drive— Staff members at NYPA's St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project won the North Country Industry Annual Food Drive for the fourth time in 14 years, with the collection of more than 8,000 items, an average of nearly 32 by each employee. The holiday food drive benefits St. Vincent de Paul, the Massena Neighborhood Center, Meals-on-Wheels, the Massena Salvation Army and the Malone Salvation Army. More than 62,700 items were donated by the participating industries, which were credited with two food items for each employee dollar contributed.

In the Community: The Power Authority-co-sponsored Capital Lights in the Park, a holiday lights display, will continue through Jan. 2 at Washington Park, Albany. The hours are 6 - 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The admission ($7 per car Monday through Thursday and $9 per car Friday through Sunday) benefits the Albany Police Athletic League….More than 500 people attended a children's event, Make a Holiday Ornament and Have Your Picture Taken with Santa, at the Niagara Power Project visitors center, Lewiston, Dec. 15….The Schoharie Valley Headstart program held its Christmas party at the Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project visitors center, North Blenheim, Dec. 11….The Power Authority presented a $25,000 check to the Town of Waddington on Dec. 11 for the town’s bicentennial celebration next summer. Activities will include a gala concert and commemoration of all wars from the Revolution to the current conflict in Afghanistan.