WHITE PLAINS: NYC Energy Official Joins Power Authority— Gil Quiniones has joined the Power Authority as executive vice president of Energy Marketing and Corporate Affairs. Previously, Quiniones was senior vice president of Energy and Telecommunications at the New York City Economic Development Corporation, the primary vehicle for promoting economic growth in the city. He also chaired the New York City Energy Policy Task Force, with a pivotal role in assessing the city’s future energy needs and recommending specific policies and programs for affordable, clean and dependable electricity supplies as well as maximizing energy efficiency. Prior to his work with the city, Quiniones was one of the four founders of ConEdison Solutions, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Con Edison, where he worked for seven years. At NYPA, Quiniones will oversee four units responsible for working with the public and customer groups: Marketing and Economic Development; Public and Governmental Affairs; Energy Services and Technology; and Power Resource Planning and Acquisitions. He will also oversee development of new products and projects.

WHITE PLAINS: NYPA President Elected to APPA Board— Roger Kelley, Power Authority president and chief executive officer, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the American Public Power Association (APPA), a national organization representing publicly-owned electric utilities. “NYPA is one of the largest public power systems in the nation, and a leader in promoting energy efficiency,” said Alan Richardson, APPA president and chief executive officer. “We are grateful that Mr. Kelley will share his experience and leadership during the crucial years ahead as we tackle a variety of energy and environmental issues.” Kelley will complete an unexpired term on the APPA board until June. He will then be eligible for election to a full three-year term. Prior to joining NYPA in July, Kelley was senior vice president-chief technical officer for Fortistar of White Plains, a leading developer and operator of power plants. He is also a past chairman and board member of the Independent Power Producers of New York, and has written extensively on electric energy matters. NYPA has been a member of APPA since 1985.

NEW YORK CITY: Energy Program Benefits NYPA Customers—The year 2000 saw the start of a new strategy in helping New York City better conserve its limited power supplies. A handful of Power Authority electricity customers agreed to limit their energy usage on summer’s hottest days at four or five New York City locations. That simple initiative—NYPA’s Peak Load Management (PLM) program—has today grown to more than 90 facilities and more than 50 megawatts of load reduction. At an Oct. 23 appreciation luncheon, NYPA recognized more than 160 representatives of some of the city’s largest departments, along with its subway and transit systems, hospitals, television studios, banks, investment houses and City University of New York sites. PLM and other incentive programs earned participants $4.5 million this year alone. More important, said NYPA’s Jim Yates, senior vice president of marketing and economic development, the summer cutbacks have lowered electric usage at high-use times, improving electric system reliability and helping NYPA avoid purchasing costly electricity on the open market. At the luncheon, Yates welcomed four new participants to the program: The New York Botanical Garden; Rikers Island correctional facilities; the city’s Department of Education; and the Hudson River Park Trust.

HINCKLEY: NYPA Joins Group Studying Water Shortage— Gov. Eliot Spitzer has asked the Power Authority to participate in a working group created to address the water supply needs of Hinckley Reservoir, which had experienced a severe water shortage earlier this year. The reservoir was constructed initially to provide water to the state canal system, and is also the sole source of drinking water for 130,000 customers of the Mohawk Valley Water Authority. Hinckley powers a small hydroelectric plant that NYPA named in honor of Space Shuttle astronaut Gregory Jarvis, a former Mohawk Valley resident. Led by the state Department of Health, the interagency working group includes representatives from the State Emergency Management Office, New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation, the state Thruway and Canal Corporation and Oneida County. John Osinski, NYPA’s executive director of regulatory affairs, will represent the Power Authority. The group will examine water usage and meteorological data to better understand the low water conditions that prompted a water emergency in Oneida County in September. It will also make recommendations regarding water levels necessary to service drinking water needs, fisheries, power generation and canal operations. Hinckley Reservoir was over 60 years old when NYPA received federal permission in 1981 to install two turbine-generators that can produce 9,000 kilowatts of hydropower from water flowing into West Canada Creek.

ALBANY: New Emission Regulations to Affect NYS Utilities— Gov. Eliot Spitzer has unveiled draft regulations for New York State’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), designed to cut greenhouse gases emitted from power plants in 10 Northeastern states. Spitzer’s proposal targets fossil-fueled power plants responsible for 25 percent of the total annual carbon dioxide emitted in the state. Each utility would need to buy enough carbon credits to cover its emissions in a flexible, market-based system similar to those used to combat acid rain. They would buy allowances through an auction for every ton of carbon dioxide they emit. New York is the first state to advocate auctioning off 100 percent of its pollution allowances, a strategy all 10 participating states are expected to emulate, with an ultimate goal of achieving a 16 percent reduction in power plant emissions. If approved, the RGGI plan would cap carbon emissions at current levels, and then begin reducing those levels starting in 2015. While about 75 percent of NYPA’s generation comes from renewable hydropower, Authority officials will use the new RGGI regulations to shape a compliance and implementation strategy to meet the stricter statewide standards for the few fossil-fueled plants which NYPA does operate.