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| Week of Aug. 28, 2005 |
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LEWISTON: License Application Filed for Niagara Project— Marking a
major milestone in the multiyear effort to relicense its Niagara Power
Project, the Power Authority has filed a license application and an
environmental assessment with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
With the hydropower project’s original 50-year license set to expire in
August 2007, FERC staff will now review the application, which was prepared
with substantial input from parties in Western New York. The Power Authority
has also submitted to FERC separate settlement agreements with a number of
stakeholders in the region, including state and federal resource agencies,
environmental organizations, area municipalities, the Tuscarora Nation,
customers and other participants in an Alternative Licensing Process. If
approved, the new license will provide a number of benefits over its
lifetime including: a $12 million fund to build Habitat Improvement Projects
to help protect fish and wildlife along the Niagara River corridor; $7
million a year for the Niagara River Greenway; a $19 million fund to address
the Niagara project’s impact on groundwater flow; a $9 million fund to
improve state recreational facilities; and $5 million in annual
contributions to a Host Community Fund for capital projects, economic
development, and public health and safety projects within local
municipalities. ALBANY: Energy Metering Cuts Costs at State Buildings— A Power Authority-installed advanced metering system, designed to monitor energy use at 50 office buildings around the state managed by the state Office of General Services (OGS), is expected to save more than $500,000 annually in energy costs and help meet Gov. George Pataki’s goal of reducing energy consumption in state buildings by 35 percent by 2010. Albany’s Empire State Plaza complex is included in the project. Electric meters provide real-time collection, analysis and management of energy consumption, including electric, gas and water use. In the past several years NYPA and OGS have partnered on other energy initiatives including preventive maintenance, capital upgrades, measurement of energy performance and competitive energy procurement. Future projects may include use of combined heat and power equipment, distributed generation, window replacements and lighting upgrades. DELHI: Rural Electric Cooperative Tests Remote Fuel Cell— At a residence in a hilly, wooded location, the Delaware County Electric Cooperative (DCEC) is constructing a demonstration fuel cell and energy storage system as an alternative to costly wire-based power distribution for residential customers. NYPA is providing technical assistance for the five-kilowatt fuel cell in the Town of Tompkins. DCEC estimates the cost of constructing traditional distribution lines and towers at about $50,000 per mile, plus maintenance costs to keep lines clear of trees and brush. The co-op and other rural cooperatives are investigating the potential of developing such local power generation, with on-site energy storage, as a more economical alternative. The Power Authority supplies electricity for the DCEC and New York State’s three other rural electric cooperatives. SARANAC LAKE: Tri-Lakes Energy Expo Set for Sept. 17— With winter’s chill on the way, a Tri-Lakes Energy Expo will be held here Saturday, Sept. 17, to acquaint area homeowners and businesses with ways to conserve energy and cut costs by implementing energy conservation projects and using energy-efficient appliances. The event will feature area vendors and professionals explaining their energy-efficient products and services, such as energy audits, lighting, heating, weatherization, low-interest financing and more. The energy expo will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Harrietstown Town Hall in Saranac Lake. The event is co-sponsored by the Power Authority, National Grid and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. For more information call Steve Ramsey at the Power Authority, 1-800-724-0309, or visit www.nypa.gov. NORTH BLENHEIM: Blenheim Covered Bridge Celebrated— The Power Authority is scheduled to help commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Blenheim Covered Bridge during a day-long celebration on Saturday, Sept. 10. Spanning Schoharie Creek, the historic bridge was built in 1855 by Nicholas Montgomery Powers. Besides its length of 228 feet, making it the longest single-span wooden bridge in the world, it is also one of only six remaining two-lane or “double barrel” bridges in America. The visitors center at NYPA’s Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project will be the host for an old-fashioned birthday party, with an afternoon of music by The Phrogs and a chicken barbeque from the Schultes family, a favorite with locals, followed by a fireworks display at dusk. Earlier in the day a parade organized by the Blenheim Volunteer Fire Department, and including a NYPA electric vehicle, will kick off at 3 p.m. from the old creamery. It will end at the bridge, where a rededication ceremony will be held, with participation by many of the town elders and traditional patriotic tunes from the Paul Bonhote Quartet and the Gilboa-Conesville School Choir. In the Community: NYPA sponsored the annual Historic Lewiston Jazz Festival, Aug. 25-28…The Power Authority staffed an information booth and displayed an electric utility truck with various electric tools, which is part of its Green Zone Program, at the New York State Fair, Syracuse, Aug. 25-Sept. 5, and displayed an electric car at the Lewiston Art Festival, Aug. 14…The Hawkins Point visitors center at the St. Lawrence-FDR Project, Massena, hosted a safety event at which child ID kits were distributed to local families, Aug. 20… |