NEW YORK: WTC Power Aids Lower Manhattan Recovery—The Power Authority has completed allocations of 80,000 kilowatts (kw) of lower-cost electricity for displaced World Trade Center tenants and other downtown Manhattan enterprises affected by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Gov. George E. Pataki announced on Aug. 19. The allocations, from power that had been supplied by NYPA to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for the trade center, brought the number of jobs supported by the electricity to more than 43,000. The new awards, totaling 38,000 kw, marked the full allocation of World Trade Center Economic Recovery Power made possible by legislation signed into law by the Governor last fall. Among the more than 50 enterprises provided power in the latest round are AT&T, District Council 37, J&R Electronics, J.P. Morgan Chase, Merrill Lynch, Verizon, the Marriott Hotel and Pace University. Recipients also include a variety of smaller businesses. The power is priced about 25 percent lower than typical commercial electricity rates in New York City and is anticipated to provide $6 million a year in total savings for recipients. NYPA and the Port Authority administer the program in cooperation with the Empire State Development Corporation.

SARATOGA SPRINGS: NYPA, MEUA Ally to Promote EVs—The Power Authority and the Municipal Electric Utilities Association of New York State (MEUA), whose members serve 500,000 New York electricity consumers, are joining in an effort to promote the use of electric vehicles in the state. In remarks on Aug. 28 to the MEUA Annual Conference here, NYPA President and CEO Eugene Zeltmann said it is "especially fitting" that the state's public power systems will use clean, renewable hydroelectricity they receive from the Power Authority to fuel emission-free electric vehicles. Besides demonstrating practical day-to-day uses of the vehicles, MEUA members "plan to make EVs available to schools for educational purposes and to community groups to raise public awareness of the benefits of electric vehicles," said Carl Lux, president of the organization, which represents 46 municipal electric communities and four rural electric cooperatives. The Power Authority has put into service some 350 EVs of various sizes and purposes for use by its customers as well as at its own facilities around the state. In 2000, NYPA became the first utility in the Northeast to pass the million-mile mark for combined electric-vehicle mileage.

ALBANY: Power Authority to Seek Wind-Power Proposals—
Gov. George E. Pataki announced on Aug. 21 that the Power Authority will seek to obtain up to 50,000 kilowatts of energy from current or new wind-powered projects in the state as part of his administration's continuing efforts to promote environmentally clean power sources. NYPA will solicit bids from potential suppliers of wind-generated electricity for periods of 10 or 15 years, beginning Jan. 1, 2005. In assessing the bids, the Power Authority will consider the cost of the power, the project's potential to create jobs during construction and operation and through the supply of economical electricity to businesses, and the project's environmental impact. The wind-power initiative continues the Authority's longstanding involvement in development of renewable energy resources. NYPA, which harnessed the state's major hydroelectric resources more than 40 years ago, has more recently deployed solar energy technology and facilities producing electricity from sewage-treatment-plant and landfill gases.

HUNTINGTON: LIRR Station to Host More NYPA/TH!NK EVs—In response to the strong interest here in the NYPA/TH!NK Clean Commute Program, the Power Authority on Aug. 28 announced the addition of 10 more Ford TH!NK city electric vehicles to the local fleet of 15. The additional EVs available for leasing earned the Suffolk County community the top ranking among the seven Metropolitan New York localities participating in the nation's largest demonstration project for electric station cars. Long Island Rail Road, Ford, NYPA and Huntington officials gathered at the local train station for the announcement. All but five of the program's 100 clean, quiet compacts have been leased. For their $199-per-month multiyear lease, commuters obtain guaranteed prime parking, with free battery recharging; at-home charging stations; an auto insurance reduction credit and monthly TransitCheks to reduce their commutation costs.

NEW YORK: NYPA Increases Energy Savings for NYPD Precincts— Twenty-five New York City Police Department precinct houses will save close to $300,000 in annual energy costs as a result of Power Authority energy-efficiency improvements scheduled for completion in September. The work includes lighting, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning upgrades. The NYPD has asked the Power Authority to undertake similar upgrades at 30 additional precincts and support facilities. The majority will receive high-efficiency lighting and double-pane thermal-barrier windows, and NYPA will oversee replacement of boilers, chillers, electric motors, pumps and burners at about half of the locations. The additional improvements, costing more than $6 million, are expected to be completed by the end of 2003 and will save the NYPD $500,000 a year more in energy, fuel and reduced maintenance costs.

LONG BEACH: Energy Upgrades Cut School District's Costs—A new, more-efficient chiller installed by the Power Authority is helping Long Beach High School cope with one of Long Island's warmest summers in memory. Without the new chiller, which replaced noisy, vibration-prone and costly-to-run equipment more than 25 years old, it would have been necessary to cancel the district's summer activities for its seven schools, an alternative high school and an adult learning center. As part of the three-year-old, $1.6 million project, NYPA also automated heating and air-conditioning controls throughout the high school, and installed more-efficient motors and a pool cover to prevent heat loss and control evaporation and humidity levels. A state Petroleum Overcharge Restitution Fund grant reduced the cost of the project to $1.2 million for the district, which will reap energy and fuel savings of close to $85,500 a year. NYPA will recover its investment by sharing in the savings.

In the Community: More than 10,000 people attended the Historic Lewiston Jazz Festival, sponsored by the Power Authority, Aug. 23-25….NYPA's Electric Transportation unit earned four awards from national and local agencies for its efforts in promoting the use of clean electric or hybrid-electric cars and buses in New York City and launching the nation's first anti-idling truck electrification program, at Hunts Point Market in the Bronx. The awards were from the the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Energy, EPA/New York City Transit and the New York City Downtown Alliance.…The Power Authority staffed an information booth at the Erie County Fair, Hamburg, Aug. 17….Employees at NYPA's White Plains office donated 65 pints of blood in a drive sponsored by the Hudson Valley Blood Services, which supplies some 50 regional hospitals in Southeastern New York, Aug. 7.