NEW YORK: DEC Concludes Hearings on In-City Power Plants— The state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has concluded a series of public hearings in New York City and on Long Island as part of its review of NYPA's application for new federal operating permits for its small, clean power plants at seven locations in those areas. The DEC issued permits in January and February 2001 allowing construction and initial operation of the natural gas-fueled plants, located in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island and in Brentwood on Long Island. Last month's hearings provided a forum for public comments on NYPA's plan to secure the new permits, as required under the federal Clean Air Act. The DEC is expected to issue a decision later this year. Draft permits prepared by the department's staff were intended to ensure compliance with all state and federal air-pollution regulations while imposing the strictest possible emissions limits. The Power Authority built the power plants to avert power shortages in the downstate region; their operation allows older, less efficient plants to run less often, thus improving air quality.

MOUNT VERNON: Electric Cars Ready to Roll on City Streets— Power Authority representatives joined Mayor Ernie Davis on Oct. 1 in announcing Mount Vernon's participation in a new electric-vehicle donation program designed to improve air quality and reduce noise pollution. As part of the program, the city received five zero-emission Global Electric Motorcars (GEMs), produced by Daimler Chrysler and distributed to local governments and public agencies in partnership with NYPA. The State University of New York is the largest recipient of the 300-car donation program, unveiled in July. In Mount Vernon, city employees will use the GEMS on local streets and in public parks, replacing gasoline-powered vehicles. Smaller than a "normal" automobile, the GEM is a five-horsepower, two- or four-passenger vehicle with a top speed of about 25 miles per hour. It is "street-legal" on lower-speed urban roads.

STATEN ISLAND: Energy-Efficiency Upgrade Benefits School— Two new natural gas- and oil-fired boilers are in final testing at P.S. 13 here as part of a $2.5 million energy-efficiency upgrade provided by the Power Authority. The replacement of the elementary school's old boilers will reduce emissions of nitrous and sulfur oxides and particulates by a total of 2.5 tons each year. The improvements stem from a $23 million NYPA program to offset air emissions in the New York City boroughs where NYPA built small, clean power plants in 2001 to avert power shortages in the city. One of the plants is located about a half mile from P.S. 13. NYPA crews also installed an air-filtration system at the school and made other improvements to its fresh-air distribution system. Installation of energy-efficient lighting by the end of the year will reduce the school's lighting costs by close to $17,000 a year.

HERE AND THERE: NYPA Wildlife Festivals Attract Big Turnout— Power Authority-sponsored wildlife festivals brought more than 21,000 visitors to three Western and Central New York locations on the weekend of Sept. 27 and 28, including close to 15,000 at the Niagara Power Project's visitors center in Lewiston. Festivals on Sept. 27 at the Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project's visitors center in North Blenheim and the Trenton Fish and Game Club in Holland Patent, near NYPA’s Clark Energy Center, attracted nearly 7,000 participants. All three events featured exotic animals, exhibits on wildlife preservation and crafts demonstrations. The Sept. 27-28 Lewiston festival was co-sponsored by the Niagara County Federation of Conservation Clubs, which handed out more than 700 gun-storage locks and firearms safety kits as part of Project ChildSafe, a nationwide program to promote safe firearms handling and storage.

In the Community: The Power Authority presented its first Western New York purchasing exchange for minority- and women-owned businesses, Buffalo, Oct. 1. The event brought together large corporations and government agencies with firms owned by women or minorities. NYPA has held similar purchasing exchanges in its White Plains office for the past 13 years….NYPA Chairman Louis P. Ciminelli was honored as executive of the year by the Buffalo Chapter of the International Association of Administrative Professionals in his capacity as chairman and chief executive officer of the Louis P. Ciminelli Construction Companies, Oct. 1. Ciminelli is a member of the Young Presidents Organization, an executive committee member of the Greater Buffalo Partnership and a board member of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, among other affiliations. The Louis P. Ciminelli Construction Companies are the largest commercial construction group in upstate New York....Some 450 middle-school students attended the Schoharie County Youth Conference at the Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project's visitors center, North Blenheim, Sept. 29. With the theme Personal Wellness for Life through Hobbies, the conference included mini courses on activities such as cycling, digital photography, rock climbing, weaving and yoga....NYPA co-sponsored the Head of the Erie Regatta, a high school and collegiate crew race, Rome, Sept. 27-28….A Power Authority energy-service exhibit was on display at a workshop sponsored by the Governor's Office for Small Cities, Empire State Plaza, Albany, Sept. 22-23….Adrienne Gable, a tour guide, spoke to the Schoharie County Republican Women's Club on community events at the Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project's visitors center, North Blenheim, Sept. 18….A Power Authority electric vehicle was on view at Howe Caverns' Parking Lot Career Safari, Howes Cave, Sept. 18.