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| Week of Nov. 16, 2003 |
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NEW YORK: Study Shows Small NYPA Plants Are City's Cleanest— An
independent review by a nationally recognized environmental consulting firm
has found that the Power Authority's six small power plants in New York City
are the cleanest power sources in the city and that the units' pending
air-quality permits will be among the strictest in the nation for similar
facilities. Compared with other generating facilities, NYPA's small natural
gas-fueled plants "are the lowest emitters in the city for carbon monoxide,
nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter
and volatile organic compounds," the report by M.J. Bradley & Associates of
Concord, Mass., said. The Bradley analysis indicated that the NYPA plants
improve air quality by reducing the need to run "higher-emitting" generation
in the city. The plants, in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island,
and a similar facility at Brentwood in Suffolk County were installed in 2001
in time to help avert a projected power shortage that summer. The report
found that all applicable air-quality standards and guidelines will be met
"by a wide margin" under the new permits and that the small plants will have
"the strictest NOx limitations…of any similar facility ever permitted in New
York State." The Bradley report was commissioned by NYPA and Communities
United for Responsible Energy in cooperation with the Natural Resources
Defense Council. THE BRONX: NYPA Donates Zero-Emission GEM Cars to Zoo— Power Authority representatives joined Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) staff on Nov. 5 to unveil 11 GEM electric vehicles (EVs) donated by NYPA to the society. Nine of the zero-emission vehicles will be used at the society's headquarters at the Bronx Zoo, with an additional two vehicles earmarked for the Queens Zoo and the New York Aquarium. Global Electric Motorcars (GEM), a Daimler-Chrysler subsidiary, has established a donation program in cooperation with NYPA to place 300 GEM neighborhood EVs with state and local government agencies and non-profit organizations in an effort to promote clean air and reduce noise pollution. The battery-powered GEM is charged by plugging it into a standard 110-volt outlet. The GEM, smaller than a "normal" automobile, is a five-horsepower, two- or four-passenger vehicle with a top speed of about 25 miles per hour. It is street-legal on roads with speed limits of up to 35 miles per hour. WHITE PLAINS: NYPA Helps Fund Arts Center, Fountain— A new Performing Arts Center-the first theater of any kind to open here in more than 10 years-and, across the street, a glittering, landscaped esplanade with soaring, musically synchronized water jets debuted early in November with financial assistance from NYPA. Located in the $320 million City Center, the 417-seat theater will feature musical, dance and dramatic performances and community events. Westchester County's Choral Society, Arts Council and Music Conservatory, and the Hudson Valley Wind Symphony have booked winter and spring dates. The Renaissance Plaza fountain, with lights, a fog machine and water jets arching up to 60 feet into the air, was dubbed "the jewel in the city's crown" by Power Authority spokeswoman Sobeida Cruz at Oct. 30 dedication ceremonies with Mayor Joseph Delfino. VALLEY STREAM: Wide Range of Energy Upgrades Completed— Starting more than a decade ago, the Power Authority has upgraded the energy efficiency of more than 2,000 schools and other public buildings statewide, producing more than $82 million a year in recurring taxpayer savings. One of the most complex and diversified projects, completed earlier this year for the Village of Valley Stream, will result in electricity and fuel-oil bill savings of more than $42,000 a year, plus significant additional savings on maintenance. The program featured the replacement of two aging boilers in the village hall, complete roof replacements at four village firehouses and the replacement of windows, storm windows, doors and skylights at the village hall, the library and three firehouses. The program also provided more-efficient lighting for the village hall, the library, parks, and all five village firehouses, and occupancy sensors at dozens of village offices. In addition, NYPA installed a backup power generator for use when the village is asked to reduce its use of electricity from external sources on peak-demand days or in the event of an emergency. WHITE PLAINS: NYPA Brings Tree Power to Public Customers— Fall is the season for planting, and thanks to a program jointly administered by the Power Authority and the New York State Nursery/Landscape Association, NYPA's governmental customers in Westchester County will plant 1,062 trees this season. Twenty-four towns, villages and school districts in the area took advantage of the buy-one-get-one-free offer mailed to them last spring. Studies show that strategically planted trees help conserve energy. Customers selected from among nine trees, including red maple, summit ash and several varieties of spruce. The Power Authority began its Tree Power program in 1991 for the state's municipal and rural cooperative electric systems. NYPA later expanded the offer to governmental entities in New York City and Westchester that obtain electricity from the Authority. MASSENA: NYPA Employees Compete in Holiday Food Drive— Employees at NYPA's St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project will again compete with workers at other North Country industries to raise food and funds to benefit needy families during the holidays. Organizations participating in the 16th annual Employee Food Drive, which will begin Nov. 17 and run until Dec. 10, include Alcoa East and West, General Motors, St. Lawrence Gas, SeaComm Federal Credit Union, the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation and the Power Authority. Food items and monetary contributions collected during the drive will be divided among the Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul, Meals on Wheels and the Neighborhood Center. Nearly 72,000 units of food were collected in last year's drive. NYPA employees finished second in the 2002 competition, gathering more than 32 food items per employee. In the Community: Employees at NYPA's Clark Energy Center in Marcy have won the Golden Can Award, presented for food donations to the Utica Community Action Food Bank, for the eighth consecutive This year, the NYPA employees donated an Authority record 3,943 pounds in pursuit of the award, which goes to the organization donating the most food per employee…. Leadership Niagara presented a Leader of the Year award to the Power Authority in recognition of NYPA's role in "providing low-cost hydroelectric power to businesses and residents throughout Western New York, as well as for supporting tourism and economic development initiatives," Lewiston, Nov. 7. Power Authority Chairman Louis Ciminelli accepted the award at a dinner and reception at the Niagara Falls Country Club….A Blenheim-Gilboa Project visitors center exhibit was displayed at the 24th annual Winter Getaway Travel Show, Empire State Plaza, Albany, Nov. 5….The Niagara Power Project's visitors center staged an Open House for teachers, who were invited to schedule field trips for their classes and take advantage of the center's many educational opportunities, Lewiston, Nov. 5….Rick Chase, executive director of hydropower relicensing, discussed NYPA's efforts to obtain a new federal license for the Niagara project at a general membership meeting of the Greater Niagara Manufacturing Association, Niagara Falls, Oct. 31….Steve DeCarlo, regional manager for Central New York, and Steve Ramsey, community relations representative, gave a presentation to the Albany Society of Engineers on the Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project, Quality Inn, Glenmont, Oct. 28. |