UTICA: Carey Elected Power Authority President and CEO— Timothy Carey has been elected president and chief executive officer of the Power Authority. NYPA trustees selected Carey during a meeting here on Jan. 31, and he took office Feb. 3 upon the retirement of Eugene Zeltmann as president and CEO. Carey became the Power Authority’s chief operating officer in September 2005 after serving as president and chief executive officer of the Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) in Lower Manhattan. Carey had also been a NYPA trustee for five years and was on the board of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. At the BPCA, Carey led the 92-acre waterfront community’s recovery after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center Towers located directly across the street. He also oversaw Battery Park’s environmentally balanced development, including the nation’s first sustainable “green” residential high-rise building. A lifelong resident of Westchester County, Carey currently serves as chairman of the Westchester Community College Board of Trustees, and commander of the American Legion Parker-Bale Post 1597 in Ossining. Carey and his wife, Alida, reside in the Town of Cortlandt.

BUFFALO: Four Manufacturers Get Low-Cost Hydropower— Four manufacturers in Western New York have agreed to create about 70 jobs and protect more than 3,300 existing positions in return for allocations of low-cost hydropower from the Niagara Power Project. Goodyear Dunlop Tires North America in Tonawanda plans to invest $19 million to increase plant production, creating 17 jobs and protecting 1,400 others in return for 1,000 kilowatts (kw). FMC Corp., which manufactures diversified chemical products in Tonawanda, is investing $3 million and relocating a microbiology laboratory from New Jersey and a hair-care blending operation from Arizona. The company will receive 2,500 kw and add 25 jobs to the current 142-member work force. Ford Motor Co. in Buffalo, which employs 1,680, will invest $215 million in upgrades to improve the stamping plant’s competitiveness in today’s market. Ford will receive 1,500 kw. Allegheny Technologies manufactures specialty steel ingots at its Lockport plant, where a $9.5 million upgrade that is being undertaken will add 11 jobs to the existing work force of 55. The company will receive 1,000 kw. Currently more than 43,000 jobs at over 100 Western New York companies are linked to the Niagara project’s low-cost electricity.

NEW YORK CITY: NYPA, NYC Transit Set Up Fuel Cell Project—The Power Authority and New York City Transit, a division of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, have agreed on a $2 million project to use a clean-energy 200-kilowatt fuel cell to provide power for an expanded subway and bus maintenance facility in Corona, Queens. The natural-gas-fired fuel cell will be a continuous source of power for the maintenance facility, and its residual heat will be used for the shop’s hot water system. Fuel cells produce electricity through a virtually emission-free chemical reaction. NYC Transit is building a maintenance facility adjacent to the Casey Stengel Bus Depot. It will be the first major maintenance facility with sustainable green design, integrating, along with the fuel cell, photovoltaic roof cells, natural light and ventilation, motion detector light switches and a storm water retention system for washing subway cars. NYC Transit expects to use 36 percent less energy over the life of the new facility. Once operational, the fuel cell will displace 2,800 barrels of oil per year.

NIAGARA FALLS: Power Authority Assists Mentoring Program— The Center for Joy, a Niagara Falls not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving the central city, has received a $25,000 contribution from the Power Authority for an ambitious mentoring program for disadvantaged inner-city groups. The program, called the Connections Network, is designed to address literacy and personal development needs of children, youth and single parents. There will be classes to improve reading skills and to build self-esteem to prepare for the job market or college. Job training and interviewing skills will also be offered, along with parenting and leadership development. Randy Crissman, the Power Authority’s regional manager at the Niagara Power Project, presented the check on Feb. 8 during a meeting of the center’s board of directors. The contribution is intended primarily as seed money to attract contributions from other businesses, agencies and foundations.

HUNTINGTON: New Boilers Help Cut Town Hall Energy Costs—The Town of Huntington can expect to save more than $21,000 in annual energy costs thanks to a recently completed boiler replacement project performed by the New York Power Authority at Town Hall. The facility’s two 40-year-old boilers were originally designed to burn coal, and were later converted to use either oil or gas. After NYPA conducted an energy audit on the entire building, workers began the boiler replacement last June. Of the project’s approximate $725,000 total cost, about $20,000 will be covered by a grant from the Petroleum Overcharge Restitution (POCR) fund, secured by state Sen. John Flanagan. NYPA administers POCR funding. The remaining costs will be paid back through energy savings realized as a result of efficiency improvements from the new equipment. The New York Power Authority has been conducting energy-saving projects at public facilities throughout the state since the early 1990s, helping to save taxpayers more than $92 million in annual energy costs and eliminating nearly 730,000 tons of greenhouse gases.

HERE AND THERE: Power Authority Offers Rx for Winter Blahs – Two of the Power Authority’s power project visitors centers in the state are offering a cure for winter-weary parents responding to their kids’ “I-have-nothing-to-do” lament that often arises during school breaks at this time of year. At the St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project in Massena, the Hawkins Point Visitors Center will conduct a free three-day “Mid-Winter Blues Movie Days” starting Feb. 21 and featuring a different “Star Wars” epic twice daily – 10 a.m. and 12 noon. On the marquee for Feb. 21: “Star Wars--A New Hope” and “The Phantom Menace”; Feb. 22: “The Empire Strikes Back” and “The Attack of the Clones”; Feb. 23: “Return of the Jedi” and “Revenge of the Sith”. For more information call 1-800-262-NYPA. Meanwhile, at the Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project in Schoharie County, three days of workshops geared for school children will be held as part of the annual “Winter Break Series.” Feb. 21: “The Art of Clowning” with Victoria Crespo; Feb. 22: “Dabbling with Dinosaurs” with Melodee James of the Outdoor World for Learning; Feb. 23: Steve Charney, author, magician, musician and ventriloquist, with his dummy Harry. All shows will be from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Admission is free but reservations are requested at 1-800-724-0309. Both visitor centers encourage families—before and after each day’s event—to explore the wide array of interactive exhibits on electricity and local history offered at each site.

In the Community: Staff from the Niagara Power Project in Lewiston gave presentations on the Basics of Electricity at Alden’s annual WinterFest, Feb. 11, and at the Aquarium of Niagara’s Storytelling Saturdays in February, Niagara Falls…Ed Birdie, public and governmental affairs representative, spoke to the Elmsford Rotary on the Power Authority’s initiatives in Westchester, Feb. 9…The Niagara project’s visitors center hosted the St. Dominic Savio Middle School Science Fair, Lewiston, Feb. 4…Power Authority employees participated in Career Days held at the Mercy College Science Technology Entry Program, Dobbs Ferry, Feb. 4 and at St. Peter’s School, Lewiston, Feb. 1…The Power Authority co-sponsored Ground Hog Day at the Staten Island Zoo, Feb. 2.