Executive Speeches

Remarks of Louis P. Ciminelli, chairman of the New York Power Authority, in accepting Leader of the Year Award from Leadership Niagara, Lewiston, New York

November 7, 2003

Thank you, Senator Maziarz, for your most gracious introduction. The Power Authority has been privileged to work with the senator over the years on numerous efforts to benefit the Niagara Frontier—so his words tonight are particularly meaningful to us.

Thanks also to Assemblywoman Francine DelMonte—the honorary chairwoman for tonight’s event and another valued partner in various initiatives on behalf of Western New York.  And, of course, our appreciation to Bob Kazeangin, both for presenting this award and for his tireless efforts as chairman of the Leadership Niagara board.

It gives me great pride and satisfaction to accept this leadership award for the Power Authority.  It’s also an honor to be recognized along with Mickey Brown—who performed a near miracle in transforming the Niagara Falls Convention Center into the Seneca Niagara Casino in only 99 days.  The casino is providing welcome hope for the economic resurgence of Niagara Falls that Governor Pataki and so many here in the region are working so hard to achieve.

When we think about a winning style of leadership, a number of obvious traits come to mind.  But General Norman Schwarzkopf summed it all up pretty well when he said:  “When in command, take charge—and when in charge do the right thing.”

Prescriptions like that are usually directed at individuals—but I think they can also be applied to institutions such as the Power Authority.

I know we’ve tried to do right by the people of the Niagara Frontier ever since we began building the Niagara Project nearly 46 years ago. 

All residents of this area receive low-cost hydroelectric power from Niagara through their local utility—providing savings on their electricity bills each and every month.

A still greater economic benefit comes from the more than 60,000 Western New York jobs that depend on low-cost power from Niagara or electricity that we supply from outside sources.  More than 43,000 of those jobs are directly tied to Niagara hydropower—some of the least-expensive electricity for businesses in the entire country.

There’s no question that Niagara power gives our region an enormous advantage as we compete for jobs and investment with other states and countries.  But we can—and must—do more to make sure it’s marketed as effectively as possible and is used to maximum benefit.

Recently, I joined in signing a major agreement to coordinate and streamline the marketing and allocation of Niagara power to businesses with plans to move to Western New York or expand their operations here.  Our co-signers are Buffalo Niagara Enterprise, Niagara Mohawk and Empire State Development Corporation—all of whom share our commitment to the Niagara Frontier’s economic growth and prosperity.

The agreement—part of the Buffalo Niagara Now initiative—will enable us to move more quickly to allocate available Niagara power to businesses and to make sure we don’t miss out on promising opportunities.

We expect to work closely with the area’s economic development professionals—people from the Niagara County IDA and other respected organizations with their fingers on the pulse of the community.

I think we’ve taken a big step forward with the new approach to hydro allocations. But it’s clear that our success in making the most of Niagara power will depend in large part on what happens in the relicensing effort that’s now well under way. 

As I’m sure you all know, we’re seeking a new 50-year federal license for the Niagara Project to replace the current one that expires in 2007.  From the start, we’ve worked to assure extensive public participation in this process.  Our goal is to have a broad settlement of the issues—and an agreement by the major stakeholders to support the new license--by the time we submit our application in August 2005.

A little over two weeks ago, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a new 50-year license for our large hydro project on the St. Lawrence River—which began operation three years before Niagara.  We received the license right on schedule—quite a feat given the long delays that a number of other, far smaller projects have encountered.

The Commission stated that the innovative cooperative process we’d followed—similar to what we’re doing at Niagara—had been a key factor in the timely approval.  So our success with St. Lawrence is a very good omen.  And—with the help and involvement of the community—we’re determined to repeat it here.

Meanwhile, we’re spending more than half a billion dollars on modernization programs at Niagara and St. Lawrence to keep these magnificent projects running at maximum efficiency for many years to come.

We also invest in the Niagara Frontier in other ways.  These range from our support for tourist attractions at the Falls and events such as the Lewiston Jazz Festival to our loan program for businesses expanding in Niagara County or relocating here.

The activities are many.  But all are rooted in the single fact that we don’t just do business here—we live here.  Niagara is our home.  And so the Power Authority is fully committed to joining with our neighbors to help build a new, more prosperous Niagara Frontier.

To meet this goal, we will need a viable, coherent strategy to forge an economy for the 21st century.  We will need to aggressively communicate our region’s many strengths to the business people who will be making decisions as to where to locate and grow in the years ahead.  And, yes—as much as anything—we will need bold and visionary leadership.

When the imagination produces new ideas and points toward new directions, another dimension emerges.  We call that the Future.  And we aim to create it right here on the Niagara Frontier.

Thank you again for this very significant award.

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