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| Week of August 15, 2004 |
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WHITE PLAINS: Energy-Efficiency Funding Tops $1.3 Billion— The Power
Authority has approved a funding increase of $230 million for
energy-efficiency projects for its governmental customers in New York City
and Westchester County, bringing to $1.33 billion total NYPA funding for
projects that conserve energy at schools and other public facilities across
the state. Cumulative energy savings achieved through the statewide projects
since 1985 have risen to $600 million, with annual savings to New York's
taxpayers now at $88 million and growing. The projects also provide cleaner
air by avoiding about 630,000 tons of greenhouse-gas emissions a year and
are in line with Gov. George Pataki's executive order requiring state
agencies to reduce their energy use by 35 percent by 2010. Energy-efficiency
improvements made by NYPA include advanced lighting, heating and cooling
systems, electric motors, and energy-management and climate-control systems.
Of the $1.33 billion in NYPA's overall energy-efficiency spending, more than
$700 million—including the $230 million authorized by the Authority's
trustees on July 27—will have been used in New York City and Westchester
County on projects identified by mid-2007. Among the beneficiaries are the
Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the Port Authority of New York and
New Jersey, the City of New York and Westchester municipalities. ALBANY: NYPA Envisions Clean Transportation Future— The Power Authority has urged a state advisory panel to build on the diverse array of clean transportation options that have helped make New York a leader among the states in the number of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) on roadways. In written testimony submitted on Aug. 5 to the New York State Advisory Panel on Transporta-tion Policy for 2025, NYPA noted that in recent years the Empire State has seen greater growth in AFVs than either California or Texas, the only states ahead of New York in the rankings. The Power Authority said it has placed more than 700 electric and hybrid-electric vehicles in service to date and that its electric-drive vehicles (EDVs) had logged more than 3.3 million miles by the end of 2003. NYPA also reported that, among other initiatives, it launched the nation's largest electric vehicle station-car program, established a partnership to help the state's municipal and rural cooperative electric systems purchase EDVs and helped deploy hundreds of zero-emission neighborhood vehicles at state university campuses, parks and government facilities statewide. The state Department of Transportation is holding public hearings through August to help develop priorities for the state's transportation master plan. BUFFALO: NYPA Boosts Energy Efficiency at SUNY Buffalo— Returning student residents of Goodyear Hall at the State University of New York at Buffalo will benefit from energy-efficient technologies installed by the Power Authority in a multiphased $4.8 million project at the 10-story dormitory. As part of the effort, ending this month, NYPA installed more than 250 double-pane, tinted windows in the dormitory's 200 rooms, as well as in lounge areas and offices, and upgraded the building's aging heating system. Heating-system efficiencies and the windows' greater insulation will reduce greenhouse-gas emissions at the dormitory by almost 650 tons annually. The Power Authority also installed an automated energy management system, reinforced the building's electric system and provided lighting and air-conditioning improvements and room occupancy sensors. PURCHASE: New Boilers to Reduce Energy Costs, Emissions—A $3.8 million NYPA boiler replacement project at the State University of New York's Purchase College will result in $107,000 in annual fuel savings and help improve air quality. When work is completed later this year, the college will have the two largest hot-water boilers ever installed by NYPA engineers. NYPA will also install a third, smaller boiler, which will be held in reserve. The new boilers will operate primarily on clean natural gas, with No. 2 oil as a backup fuel, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 1,025 tons annually. The boilers will provide heat and hot water for all 25 buildings at the Westchester County college. NYPA has completed energy-efficiency projects at 82 SUNY facilitites, producing annual savings of more than $58 million. LEWISTON: Jazz and More Featured in Summer Festival— Now in its third year, the NYPA-sponsored Historic Lewiston Jazz Festival promises to attract crowds of music lovers to village streets during the weekend before Labor Day. With the theme of Celebrating an American Tradition, this year's festival will begin at 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 27, continue on Saturday and conclude on the afternoon of Sunday, Aug. 29. More than 150 musicians will perform on four public stages, with additional performers entertaining guests at eight local restaurants. Saturday night's headliner concert, on the main stage at Fourth and Center streets, will feature 2004 Grammy nominee The Joey DeFrancesco Quartet. The festival also features an antiques show, classic cars on display, a kids' corner (Saturday only), culinary samplings and wine tastings. Besides being the main sponsor of the event, NYPA has provided an array of support materials, including a website with full details at www.lewistonjazz.com. PEEKSKILL: Beatles Music Kicks off Summer Celebration—A NYPA-sponsored BeatleMania concert on the Riverfront Green Park here Aug. 6 kicked off Peekskill Celebration 2004, a weekend-long event highlighting Peekskill's revitalized economy and Hudson River heritage. An audience of close to 4,000 turned out for BeatleMania's multimedia performance, which included music and costumes evoking different stages of the Beatles' repertoire, from their clean-cut Ed Sullivan days to the artsy Abby Road album. The Peekskill Celebration continued on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 7 and 8, with musical performances, carnival rides, river excursions, arts-and-crafts vendors, educational exhibits and a Saturday night fireworks display set in the natural amphitheatre formed by the river's bend and the Palisades. NYPA has been a major sponsor of the annual event since its inception in 1997. In the Community: The Power Authority co-sponsored the annual Festival of North Country Folklife, focusing on the area's rich traditions and what life was like years ago, Massena, Aug. 14….NYPA co-sponsored the I Love NY Food Festival as part of Summer 2004 at the Plaza, Empire State Plaza, Albany, Aug. 11….Niagara Power Project staff members presented the Basics of Electricity at the Youngstown Summer Recreation Program, Aug. 10….Participants in Rochester's Energy 2004 Workshop toured the Niagara project's Power Vista visitors center, Lewiston, Aug. 8. The annual workshop brings together public and private officials who want to increase their knowledge of energy management...The Power Authority presented electric-drive-vehicle demonstrations at the Lewiston Art Festival, Aug. 14 -15; at the Village of Youngstown Concert Series, Aug. 13; at state Assemblyman Michael Benjamin's Community Day event, Bronx, Aug. 7; at the Night Out Against Crime in the 114th Precinct, Astoria, Aug. 3; at the Village of Tuckahoe's community concert and fireworks display, July 31; and at the Bronx Harmony Day event, July 29. |