Buffalo, Erie County strike deal with NYPA

A protracted and public dispute over funding by the New York Power Authority to Buffalo and Erie County as part of a federal relicensing plan has been settled.

A formal announcement was expected Monday night by the parties. Terms of the agreement call for the city and county to receive a package worth $279 million over 50 years, according to a release from Rep. Louis Slaughter, D-Fairport.

The deal comes as NYPA seeks to have it license at the Niagara Power Project in Lewiston renewed by the federal government.

NYPA will allocate $2 million to greenway projects in Erie County and $2.5 million will go to the Erie Canal Waterfront Development Corp., another state agency recently created by Gov. George Pataki to oversee development along the city's harbor area.

Also,$1 million will come from the Empire State Development for waterfront development.

The deal also calls for $4 million to be granted upfront - $2 million in 2006 and $2 million in 2007.

An additional NYPA settlement includes funding which will be shared between Erie and Niagara counties. That deal will fund $3 million per year for state parklands projects in those counties and another $1 million per year will go for ecological projects.

The NYPA's previous deal paid the entities much less, leading to a squabble that has pitted Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo, against the state agency and its supporters. Higgins has called for an audit of the NYPA over its operations and spending practices.

http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/s...ml?jst=b_ln_hl

If it weren't for Higgins persistance, it never would have happened.

Meanwhile, we're stuck with another authority that continues to overcharge its customers.

but Higgins was able to get almost 3x what was offered, coming back to services that residents can utilize. I'm not going to complain about it.

Higgins deserves all the credit for this. Nobody else was pushing for it except for him.

But I think we're still getting shafted by this authority. They should not have settled until more information from the Audit came out. And it doesn't address the fact that we pay the highest cost for electricity with Niag Falls in our backyard.

Like I said in the other thread... I want to know if the audit is going to go through still or if this was hush money to make Higgins go away.

I'd rather have electricity for $.03 / kWh

WE'RE #1!!!

http://www.eia.doe.gov/neic/brochure...s/us%20map.gif


http://www.eia.doe.gov/neic/brochure...ectricity.html

#2.......Hawaii has us beat at $.1673. We should literally be one of the lowest. Just imagine if your electricity bill was 30% of what it currently is (no pun intended using the word current :D ). I know i'd have an extra $150 a month to spend or save. Wouldn't that be a nice economic boost in erie county, if everyone had an extra 1500 a year to spend?

Thanks for the map, Crache. Especially the source.

I've heard stuff over the past six months that we pay the highest; no we pay among the lowest; blahblahblah.

Thanks NYS for finding another way to rip me off.

And we crap we heard from the Authority: "we don't know how much we make from the Niagara Power Project; we don't track it."

If that's true (and I doubt it), it's only because they don't want to know how much they're making.

I am glad we got the deal we got. If we did not deserve it the NYSpa would have fought it. They did not want to tackle Higgins head on anylonger because he was bringing out some things they did not want brought out for public scrutiny.
My only concern is that the issue of high paid patronage jobs, private planes, excessive travel. overpaid lawyers and consultants and a fleet of new cars and SUV's dosen't go away.
These are issues that have to be addresed and that authority is badly in need of reform.
Lets hope other's realize it too. But this is New York. So I wouldn't count on it.

From the map it looks like the TVA is the only authority not ripping the taxpayers off.

That's a good point, Citymouse, but even the TVA has stumbled.

I was speaking with a guy this summer who used to be an engineer with the TVA. In one generation, they went from generating electricity that no one might have wanted (just before WWII) to planning to build 24 nuclear plants to satisfy projected demand (1970s). He said TVA has about $30 Billion in debt, mostly from cost overruns or cancellations at nuclear facilities.

He blamed the TVAs over-building on bad Dept of Energy forecasts (I immediately thought of DT Warren's signature).

As a humorous aside, hydro power is no longer their base supply. They can't count on a steady amount of power with all those dams. Seems a bunch of rich folks have built expensive homes all around the artificial lakes they created. And they don't like shorelines with 30 foot drops in their front yards.

Quote:

---

Originally posted by SolarEclipse
Like I said in the other thread... I want to know if the audit is going to go through still or if this was hush money to make Higgins go away.

---

Odds are you wont hear another word about. The fix is in, the bribe has been paid, but at least this time we had the big stick.

The school yard bully will just find another way to steal our lunch money though.

And let them continue to screw us?

Think about the amount of taxes that are generated on the inflation rip off kilowatt cost.

we could not be getting any thing at all

Which would even make us more screwed.. Screwed it screwed no matter how you look at it :)

Why can't we buy electric from other power stations on the grid? Like from a station that sells it's wattage for 6.31 cents a kilowatt?

IMO because then we won't fund $100,000 positions to the nypa jobs appointed by the state.

It's definitely better than nothing. At least we'll have money to fix up our waterfront. But it doesn't really correct the situation. We had a once-in-50-year opportunity to really fix it, but we ended up tweaking the status quo.

This is how I see it....

WNY is the down-and-out unwilling prostitute. Albany is our abusive Pimp. The Power Authority bribes Albany to rape us.

The recent "fix" was.... they can continue to rape us as long as they buy us some nice clothes.

After we get our new clothes (a new waterfront), we'll be a very pretty prostitute.

Better than nothing.

Now why can't we start a class action suit and get spitzer involved? I though he protects the consumer?

If he's running for governor wouldn't this be something he could do to prove he wants the best for NYS?

If he doesn't I guess that means he's just a part of the "system" which has crippled economic growth in WNY.

We got this much so far, lets squeeze more out of them. They squeeze more from us on a dailey basis.

Spitzer 's not doing anything except "run" on a campaign built on his past achievements; he's not looking to rock any boats b4 the election.

as for the NYSpa, it would be an even better deal had it not been for 50 years. Why not renegoitiate in a more reasonable time period than once a generation

http://www.classactionconnect.com/faqs.htm frequesntly asked questions
--------------------------
1. What is a class action?
2. What types of cases can be class actions?
3. How does a case become a class action lawsuit brought?
4. How many people are needed for a class action?
5. How much does a class action cost
6. Why would I want my case to be a class action?
7.Are class representatives entitled to
any additional compensation
8. How do I choose a class action attorney?

1. What is a class action?
A class action is a type of lawsuit in which the claims and rights of many people are decided in a single case. Specific plaintiffs are named in the lawsuit to assert the claims of the entire class so that everyone with the same claim or injury doesn't have to file their own separate lawsuit. Also, because they allow people whose damages are too small to warrant an individual lawsuit to try their cases together, class actions can often be the only practical way to stop illegal practices and recover ill-gotten gains. Class action suits have allowed individual people to stand up against the most powerful industries in the world and to hold them accountable for their actions.

2. What types of cases can be brought as class actions?
The typical class action lawsuit involves a situation where a large group of people is injured by the same conduct. There are four primary types of class action lawsuits:

Securities Class Actions: Securities class actions are typically brought on behalf of a group of investors who have been injured as a result of a company's improper conduct, such as misstating earnings, concealing or misrepresenting risks, or otherwise engaging in activity detrimental to the company.

Product liability/Personal Injury Class Actions: Product liability and personal injury class action lawsuits are generally brought when a defective product, such as a drug with harmful side effects, or "mass accident", such as a toxic spill harms many people.

Consumer Class Actions: Consumer class actions are generally brought when consumers are injured by a company's systematic and illegal practices. Examples include illegal charges on bills, illegal penalties for late-payments, and failure to comply with consumer protection laws.

Employment Class Actions: Employment class action lawsuits are typically brought on behalf of employees of a large company for claims ranging from systematic workplace discrimination to unpaid overtime.

3. How does a case become a class action?
A class action is generally initiated by one or more people who feel that they, along with a group of other people, have been wronged. A lawyer then files suit on behalf of the individual(s) and the class. At the appropriate time, the lawyer files a motion asking the court to formally recognize the case as a class action. If the court grants that motion, the other people who were similarly wronged are notified of the class action and are given an opportunity to participate in the class action as a member of the "class."

4. How many people are needed for a class action?
Although it sometimes helps if several people are named as plaintiffs in the suit, a single person is generally enough to file a lawsuit so long as the attorney for the class has a good faith belief that a number of other people were injured in a similar way.

5. How much does a class action cost?
Generally, the lawyer pays for all the costs and, if the lawsuit is successful, petitions the court to award attorney fees, which are usuallypaid by the defendant.

6. Why would I want my case to become a class action?
People have different reasons for taking part in class actions. Many class members take pride in forcing a giant corporation that is breaking the law to change its ways and in helping to recover often millions of dollars for the class. Others bring class actions to recover money that was illegally taken from them, recognizing that they couldn't afford to pay a lawyer's hourly fees to bring an individual suit and that their individual claim isn't large enough to attract a lawyer who works on contingency.

7. Are class representatives entitled to any additional compensation?
If a class action is successful in winning relief for the class, most courts, understanding that class actions can be a powerful tool for consumers' rights in society and are to be encouraged, provide class representatives with "incentive awards." Judges are typically given broad discretion in deciding whether these awards are appropriate and in setting the amounts of the awards, which can range from hundreds of dollars to over $50,000. In deciding how much, if anything, to award to the class representatives, courts look at factors such as the amount of involvement of the class representative and the size of the recovery for the class.

8. How do I choose a class action attorney?
There are many very good class action attorneys in the United States. Because class action law is fairly specialized, you should look for an attorney with significant class action experience. Additionally, because there are many different types of class actions, look for a lawyer who has specific experience in the type of class action you wish to bring. In other words, an attorney who regularly brings consumer class actions might not be the best choice for a securities class action and vice-versa. Finally, it is a good idea to ask any lawyer you're considering a lot of questions before hiring him or her. For example, you might want to find out if he or she or a subordinate will be the "lead attorney" on your case. You should also ask how many cases the firm is currently handling - is yours going to be one of 30 or one of 300? Make sure you understand what's expected of you as the class representative, and always insist on a written representation agreement.
------------------------------

I wonder what John Stossel could do digging a little deeper. :)

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/ABCNEWSSpecial/

I'm going to email him tonite and ask him a few questions

To email 20/20

GO to that page if you don't mind and email them.

I wonder if they could dig even deeper into the records of the power authority to see why we pay so much for electric compared to well, EVERYWHERE else except for HI. :)

sent my email

From WBEN :

"Over the next 12 to 36 months, the Buffalo waterfront, the inner harbor and the outer harbor, will take on a dramatically different look and feel," Higgins says. "(Y)ou're going to see major announcements relative to the Skyway, relative to Fuhrmann Boulivard (and) outer harbor access."


will they use some of this money towards taking down the skyway???

Quote:

---

Originally posted by 300miles
It's definitely better than nothing. At least we'll have money to fix up our waterfront. But it doesn't really correct the situation. We had a once-in-50-year opportunity to really fix it, but we ended up tweaking the status quo.

This is how I see it....

WNY is the down-and-out unwilling prostitute. Albany is our abusive Pimp. The Power Authority bribes Albany to rape us.

The recent "fix" was.... they can continue to rape us as long as they buy us some nice clothes.

After we get our new clothes (a new waterfront), we'll be a very pretty prostitute.

Better than nothing.

---

Now that is a good analogy!

Will the waterfront really be developed with these NYPA funds?

Was the tobacco money used for smoking cessation programs? Was it even used for health care?

Quote:

---

Originally posted by 300miles



will they use some of this money towards taking down the skyway???

---

No. They say it will not be used for transportation related projects. That comes under a different auspice.

Quote:

---

Originally posted by biker
Will the waterfront really be developed with these NYPA funds?

Was the tobacco money used for smoking cessation programs? Was it even used for health care?

---

Who knows? But at least we will have the opportunity to find out. We may be all right if we can keep Joel out of the mix.

http://www.speakupwny.com/forum/show...7000#post77000

sorry try here http://www.speakupwny.com/forum/show...&threadid=5791

Quote:

---

Originally posted by yaksplat
#2.......Hawaii has us beat at $.1673. We should literally be one of the lowest. Just imagine if your electricity bill was 30% of what it currently is (no pun intended using the word current :D ). I know i'd have an extra $150 a month to spend or save. Wouldn't that be a nice economic boost in erie county, if everyone had an extra 1500 a year to spend?

---

It's so easy to ignore Alaska and Hawai'i off in the corner there. :) Think about how isolated HI is... it's about as far away from the west coast as NYC is from LA. We shouldn't even be close!

Quote:

---

Originally posted by biker
Will the waterfront really be developed with these NYPA funds?

Was the tobacco money used for smoking cessation programs? Was it even used for health care?

---

lol!!! On the same news broadcast that showcased the NYPA deal announcement Erie County's favorite economic "genius", otherwise known as "King Joel", suggested that local government (I'm assuming he meant EC) sell bonds backed by this revenue stream to get $260+ million "up front".

Beware Buffalonians, the King is on the prowl for your millions!!!:D

Wants it all why he is still in office to squander it. Does he have a few more relatives to take care of? Or do we need more furniture?

I heard that idea of the bonds and though RED FLAG.

No way... NO way.. it will be pissed away with nothing to show for it.

Hey, you two. Come 'ere.

Shaddup!

Or we'll be fitting you for a set of cement overshoes.

I emailed Alan Hevesi with this question -

Quote:

---

Are you still planning a full audit of the New York Power Authority?

---

I received this cryptic response -

Quote:

---

Your e-mail has been forwarded to our Division of State Services for attention.

---

I will post any further response, stay tuned . . .

Um, I think well get a developed waterfront out of the deal and finally someone stepped up to the plate to challenge the bad guys in all of this.... nypa but that's just IMO some thing I won't do very often.

------------------------
Congressman Higgins released the following statement regarding the victory for Western New York and the Buffalo waterfront on the NYPA settlement offer of $279 million over 50 years for Buffalo and Erie County:

“This settlement agreement is a win for our community and will provide major assistance to waterfront development efforts in Western New York. This gives us the resources and local control to do what has not been done here in decades-- bring real economic and recreational opportunity to the Buffalo waterfront, part of the Power Project’s host community, which desperately deserves it. This is a new day and a significant step forward.”
-----------------------------