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| Week of June 29, 2003 |
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HOLTSVILLE: NYPA Selects Bids for Wind-Power Purchases—The
Power Authority's selection of proposals on June 24 for the purchase of up
to 50 megawatts (mw) of electricity from two upstate wind-power developers
will add velocity to Gov. George E. Pataki's drive to promote
environmentally clean and diversified generating facilities. NYPA trustees,
meeting at the Richard M. Flynn Power Plant
here, authorized the Authority's staff to execute agreements with
Chautauqua Windpower, LLC, and Windfarm Prattsburgh, LLC, to provide wind
energy for a 10-year period, beginning in January 2005. The 50-mw purchase
would be divided between the two developers. Criteria for their selection
from among seven other companies that submitted bids included cost, local
economic benefits, a demonstrated ability to follow through with
construction of proposed projects and environmental licensing
considerations. Chautauqua Windpower plans to install 34 wind turbines on
1,700 acres between the towns of Westfield and Ripley in Chautauqua County,
for a total generating capacity of 51 mw. Windfarm Prattsburgh, LLC, is
planning up to 67 wind turbines, with a total capacity of up to 100 mw, on
about 2,400 acres near the town of Prattsburgh in Steuben County. MASSENA: Environmental Report Advances Project Relicensing— NYPA's efforts to relicense its St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project have moved into the homestretch with the issuance of a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) by federal regulators. Stakeholders and others will have 45 days to comment on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)-issued document once a notice is published in the Federal Register. A final version of the EIS is scheduled to be issued in September, and FERC is expected to act on NYPA's license application by the end of October. With the addition of a few FERC staff-recommended measures, primarily concerning environmental mitigation, the EIS supports NYPA's application, describing it as part of a "comprehensive plan for the proper use, conservation and development of the St. Lawrence River." NYPA's original 50-year license for St. Lawrence-FDR expires on Oct. 31. The Authority has been working with government officials, non-governmental organizations and the general public since 1996 to obtain a new license for the project, which began operation in 1958 as NYPA's first generating facility. STATEN ISLAND: NYPA Electricity Aids Visy Paper Expansion— Visy Paper on June 23 announced plans to invest $30 million to expand its waste-paper recycling facilities here and create 125 jobs with the help of an additional allocation of low-cost power from NYPA. The Power Authority has provided electricity to the New York City Public Utility Service (NYCPUS) for resale to Visy since 2001. The power is used in the company's existing paper mill, where it helps to protect some 160 jobs. Working again with NYCPUS, the Authority will provide additional power for the new facility, bringing the total allocation for Visy to more than 20 megawatts and the company's job total on Staten Island to 285. Construction of the new 100,000-square-foot facility is scheduled to begin in 2004 and take up to 18 months to complete. Overall, NYPA electricity helps to secure 200,000 jobs at businesses and non-profit organizations throughout New York City. ROCHESTER: NYPA's DiMarco Cites Energy-Efficiency Benefits— Power Authority Trustee Gerard DiMarco said at a June 19 conference here that NYPA's energy-efficiency programs can serve as a model for businesses, helping to lower operating costs at their facilities. "Money spent on energy efficiency is money well spent," DiMarco said at the conference, arranged by the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties. "It lets businesses lower their electricity use and cut costs without sacrificing the quality of their operations or working conditions." DiMarco, a partner in the Rochester law firm of DiMarco & Riley, LLP, said NYPA has completed energy-efficiency and clean-energy projects at nearly 2,000 schools and other public facilities throughout the state, saving taxpayers more than $81 million a year and cutting annual emissions of greenhouse gases by over 580,000 tons. In Rochester, he said, a $3 million NYPA energy-efficiency project, including work at City Hall, central vehicle maintenance facilities, the North Street Recreation Center and the Engine 1 and Engine 17 firehouses, is expected to reduce the city's energy and maintenance costs by more than $260,000 a year. WHITE PLAINS: Purchasing Fair Attracts Diverse Participants— The Power Authority's 13th annual Supplier Diversity Purchasing Exchange at its White Plains office on June 12 attracted a diverse array of minority- and women-owned businesses. More than 250 firms sent approximately 400 representatives to network and establish new business ties with some two dozen corporate and governmental entities. The Power Authority has conducted more than $350 million worth of business with minority- and women-owned businesses since 1983 in areas ranging from energy-efficiency products to printing and office supplies to computer services. The annual purchasing exchange, co-sponsored with the National Minority Business Council, is intended to help these firms reach out to other large organizations. NORTH BLENHEIM: Center Kicks Off Summer Series for Kids— The Blenheim Gilboa Power Project's visitors center will team up with the Outdoor World for Learning and the Schoharie County Historical Society to provide an admission-free, hands-on educational series on the environment, history and social sciences for children in kindergarten through the fifth grade. Sessions on July 2, 9 and 16, hosted by he Outdoor World for Learning, will feature programs on water, air, light, hawks, owls and unusual animals. Programs on July 23 and 30 will highlight 18th-century lifestyles, historical music and hands-on activities from the historical society. All sessions will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. In the Community: NYPA President and CEO Eugene Zeltmann on June 17 presented checks totaling $20,000 at the Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project’s visitors center to nine volunteer fire and rescue squads that respond to emergencies at the project and in surrounding communities, North Blenheim, June 17....The checks went to the Blenheim Hose Company, the Conesville Fire Department, the Conesville Rescue Squad, the Grand Gorge Fire Department, the Grand Gorge Rescue Squad, the Jefferson Fire Department, the Jefferson Rescue Squad, the Middleburgh Fire Department and the Middleburgh Emergency Volunteer Ambulance Corps....A NYPA informational booth and electric vehicle were displayed at the Taste of Lewiston food festival, Academy Park, Lewiston, June 21….Power Authority staff members made Basics of Electricity presentations at St. John the Baptist School, Kenmore, June 19; and the Lawrence Avenue Elementary School, Potsdam, June 16….Adrienne Gable, a tour guide at the Blenheim-Gilboa project presented an overview of the project to the Stamford Rotary Club, June 18….Lori Presti, senior tour guide at the Niagara Power Project, handed out Power Awards to students at the Maple Avenue Elementary School, Niagara Falls, for overall excellence in character-building skills, June 16….Nearly 200 classic and muscle cars, along with one-of-a-kind vehicles, drew close to 1,600 admirers at the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) car show at the Blenheim-Gilboa project's visitors center, North Blenheim, June 8. Money raised through admission fees will helps support Schoharie County's drug-education efforts. |