http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial...02/1024926.asp
No one will accuse Rep. Brian Higgins of being bashful.
Higgins' first major bill as a freshman member of the House will demand that the New York Power Authority pay Buffalo and Erie County an estimated $1 billion over the next half-century.
That's the price the Buffalo Democrat is setting for giving the authority the right to operate the Niagara Power Project for the next 50 years.
Most of the cash flow, according to the bill, would pay to transform the rickety Buffalo waterfront into a recreational and residential showplace.
So far, Higgins' legislation has been greeted with respectful caution by members of the Senate and House who have seen it.
When the project was first licensed in 1957, Sen. Jacob K. Javits carried the bill in Congress. Higgins is filling a vacuum. No other member of the House and Senate has voiced an interest in offering such a bill.
The reason is that no measure will have a steeper uphill climb and need stronger allies.
The legislation could have a big effect on New York City and on seven other states that use electricity from the Lewiston dam.
Rep. Louise M. Slaughter, D-Fairport, in whose district the project sits, said she is reviewing it.
"The congresswoman did not take part in drafting it, but she is sympathetic to its aims of helping Buffalo," said Eric Burns, Slaughter's spokesman.
Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., said through his spokesman, Eric Schultz, that his staff is looking it over.
"We have always worked closely with Congressman Higgins on energy issues," Schultz said.
Higgins began distributing the bill only hours before Congress recessed for the Fourth of July holiday, and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., did not see it. It is being analyzed by the Clinton staff, said her spokesman, Philippe Rienes.
Rep. Thomas M. Reynolds of Clarence, a member of the House Republican leadership, had no immediate comment on what Higgins is doing.
The bill is a direct challenge to Republican Gov. George E. Pataki, whose appointees supervise the Power Authority.
Higgins said he is not sending a copy of the bill to the authority, which has refused to negotiate with Buffalo and Erie County about raising its original offer of $2 million a year.
The Erie County Legislature and Buffalo Common Council have turned down the authority's offer as inadequate. These rejections, in addition to a possible lawsuit from Niagara University, which wants more compensation, complicate the authority's plans.
The authority wants to get a renewal of its 50-year license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and leave Congress out of the process.
To get around the need for an act of Congress to renew the license in 2007, the authority needs a "consensus" to present to FERC this August. Right now, it doesn't have it.
Higgins insisted that he is not introducing the bill on July 11 as a leverage to increase the authority's offer.
"I'm convinced that the best vehicle to address all the issues on relicensing is an act of Congress, as it was 50 years ago," he said.
"I have already conferred with the leadership of FERC on this," he said.
The $1 billion demanded in the legislation comes from $10 million a year to Buffalo and Erie County, compounded by 3 percent each year.
Other major provisions of the Higgins bill would require the authority to:
• Pay a total of 1 percent of the gross sales of power from the Lewiston project annually to the the industrial development agencies of Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties.
The money would be used to help high energy users pay their power bills and retain employment levels.
•Create a security zone around the project, in part to protect the Niagara University campus.
• Provide resources to first responders serving the project to prepare for terrorists attacks on the project.
• Reveal all the financial arrangements involving the sale of Niagara power to other municipalities and states.
"When the authority's books are transparent," Higgins said, "the facts will show that an increase in home electricity rates is not needed to compensate the city and county."
• Renew the replacement power program in the original 1957 agreement and reaffirm that current users of the power in the region can rely on continued supply of low-cost power.
Higgins said the authority is holding the renewal of these contracts over the heads of local manufacturers to pressure them into opposing the city's and county's demands for more compensation.
The legislation also would require the secretary of energy to conduct an audit of Niagara Project finances since its inception, and annually, to find out where its revenue goes.
Remain calm!! But run for your lives if necessary!
Higgins is right to demand as much for this area as possible. Screw Pataki, Bruno and Silver if theyhave indigestion over this legislation.
By the way, I started another thread about this in the Buffalo politics section. I didn't know you had started one as well.
Thank you New York, may I please have another!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have an idea....
Since so many people in "THE city" whine about THIER $$ coming upstate, I have a solution
Let the cities of Buffalo and Niagara Falls take over the project. Each city gets 50% of the revenues.
In return, ALL state aid to both cities stops. That $$ can then be funnelled to "THE city" for resconstruction
NOT ONLY would Buffalo and N-F realize TENS of millions MORe in revenues, but the state saves money too.
We'll even keep EVERY current agreement in place, so downstate still gets some cheap power. They'll just be paying US for it.
WHY not?
We have this ENORMOUS revenue-generating resource in OUR own backyard, and yet we're BROKE and constantly begging the state for more $$.
It doesn't make sense. We have the POWER (pun intended) to be self sufficient right in our own region. NY can give other cities that $$.
With operating revenues (profits) in the HUNDREDS of millions per year, imagine what Buffalo-Niagara would look like. 100 million per city per year. Obviously, this REALLY helps N-F, which is a fraction of the size Buffalo is.
We might be SMALLER, but I would wager with THAt kind of influx in cash, our city would ONCE AGAIN be the "Queen City" and would look a WHOLE lot different....
With that control, our region could offer a certain amount of FREE POWER to large manufactuers to counterbalance the NY tax rates that drive them away.... Maybe we could even COMPETE with other states, as a REGION!
EVERYBODY WINS!
NY, CNY, and other states STILL get their cheap power like they do now, we wouldn't take that away. NY gets close to 100 million more per year in state aid to blow since our two cities aid goes there instead. Buffalo can finance its own schools, police, services, ect., AND the control board can make sure all this extra dough doesn't go into some scumbags pockets. Our city would be MORe than healthy, it would be VIBRANT.
The only loser in this is ALBANY. Too f-ing bad I say!
I know, I'm dreaming. But what's SICK is THIS IS THE WAY IT SHOULD BE!
Cities are WHERE they are because of these natural resources. Thus, cities near such bountiful producers of WEALTH reap MOSt of the benefits, although others ALSO benefit. It only stands to reason the guys with the revenue stream in THEIR backyard benefit FIRST, then everyone else can get their piece.
For example, you don't see Kuwait sending free oil overseas first to help some other nation while their own nation is bankrupt, do you?
That's what we're doing here, allowing someone ELSE to profit OUR region's most valuable asset while we grovel for spare change from this same group, and our cites continue to crumble!
Why doesn't NYC's Port Authority toss up 3/4 of their profts to split with us?
Oh, WHY should they, right? After all, WTF entitlement do WE feel toward the profits from THEIR ports?
It's the same thing. NYS jsut wants to SUCK revenue like a vaccuum from ALL the regions of NY State to fund their largess and backroom deals.
I like waht Higgins is doing. Obviously, the scenario I laid out CANNOT happen now, for various reasons. But we sHOULD reap MORe benefit than a measly $2 million per year ($4 if you count Giambra County)
I like $10 million per year for BOTH the City and Giambra Patronage Machine (oops, I meant Erie County)
Fair is fair. This "State run Authority" proftis to the tune of HUNDREDS of millions of dollars per year from OUR most valuable resource. Asking for a total of $20 million for interests in Erie County is only fair, I think.
The truth from a troll is still the truth.
It will never happen because the power base is "THE CITY" and they could care less if we survive!
But better than other suggestions I would like to see WNY from Syracuse to PA line become a whole new state!!! Then think of the money, lower taxes and better jobs that would roll in.
May you live forever.....and the last voice you hear.....MINE!
Troll, that's one of the better ideas I have seen on this forum. Is there some way this can be conveyed to Higgins (like him or not)since he seems to be taking the ball and running with the idea of a revenue stream from the Falls to benefit WNY.
Yeah, it's a snowball's chance to do but what if WNY turned it's attention to this rather than the EC fiscal bull!@#^.
"...give me Liberty or give me a beer and I'll think about it awhile..."
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