Brian Higgins to Power Authority: Pay Up or else!

[jbinbny]

In today's edition of the Snooze, Higgins has introduced legislation in Congress requiring the New York Power Authority pay Buffalo/Erie County the sum of $1 Billion dollars over the next 50 years for the right to operate the Niagara Power Project.
This amounts to an average of $20 million per year flowing into city/county coffers.

The Power authority had been offering $100 million over fifty years, so Higgin's legislation effectively demands ten times that amount.

So what does everyone think?

Personally, I think that Higgins demands are reasonable considering the hundreds of billions the Authority would generate in profits over that amount of time. And the authority has been low balling this area for years, while they enjoy record profits.

Additionally, Higgins would use most of the money for the waterfront development project he has been pushing hard for.

I will say this. Higgins is right about giving this area a fair share of the profits that come with operating this project. Additionally he has at least been active in the waterfront project and doing a lot more than paying lip service like some many other politicians have done.

And if George Pataki, Shelly silver and Joe Bruno don't like it, well tough ****! All the more reason I'm in favor of Higgins proposal.

I will give Higgins credit. At least he's trying, something that cant be said for Louise Slaughter, Tom Reynolds and the Hillary/Chuck Shumer tag team in Albany.


The time for talk is over. I want action and at least Brian Higgins is doing something!

[WNYresident]

Lower rates so we are on average with the rest of the united states.

[300miles]

I support this because he's also demanding that they open the financial books to show exactly how much money is coming in, and to show exactly where the power is being sold.

WNY get's thrown a few pennies so that NYC and other areas can get cheap power. It's time someone demand WNY gets the best deal out of this. I hope Higgins continues to stand up for this area.

[Boost Buffalo]

Originally posted by 300miles
I support this because he's also demanding that they open the financial books to show exactly how much money is coming in, and to show exactly where the power is being sold.

yes, Higgins wants a full accounting from the power authority, from day one. He wants it made public where the money has come from and where the money has gone, for all these almost 50 years. Thats got to be shaking up the authority something fierce.

Is Higgins the first to ever approach this? The whole thing is incredible that such a public entity as the power authority can be functioning in such a private manner all these years.

[speaker]

Someone posted that on this board about a month ago--not a regular poster. I can't remember the name but he got no responses at the time, that I remember. Anybody/ Maybe we owe that person a thanks.

[biker]

I think Chris from Parkside has been posting for months that the Power Authority makes an 80% profit and that we pay the second highest electric rates in the country.

Higgins is proposing that another level of government steal from the other level that stole it from us.

If the local thieves got a hold of $20 million a year, within three years they'd be back raising all the other taxes and we'd be moaning about "where did all the power authority money go?

Like that 20 year old "temporary" sales tax. Absolutely needed so we can hire more of Joel's friends as parks people.



My solution: lower electric rates 80% and let the private consumers and businesses decide what to do with the savings.

Higgins just wants to grab on dough that some other government thief has already stolen.

[Curmudgeon]

My solution: lower electric rates 80% and let the private consumers and businesses decide what to do with the savings.

Higgins just wants to grab on dough that some other government thief has already stolen.

Exactly! sounds like Higgins wants to steal other people's money to prop up the old system. Perhaps he wants to be thought of as "the king of pork".....

[WNYresident]

Originally posted by Boost Buffalo
yes, Higgins wants a full accounting from the power authority, from day one. He wants it made public where the money has come from and where the money has gone, for all these almost 50 years. Thats got to be shaking up the authority something fierce.

Is Higgins the first to ever approach this? The whole thing is incredible that such a public entity as the power authority can be functioning in such a private manner all these years.

That is the problem with authorities.. what are they? private businesses it seems in guise of a government department or just a non profit with closed books

[buffy]

That is the problem with authorities.. what are they? private businesses it seems in guise of a government department or just a non profit with closed books

Their website descibes the NYS Power Authority as a state owned, non=profit, public- benefit energy corporation that does not use any tax revenues or state credit. they finance construction of thier projects through bond sales to private investors, repaying bondholders with proceeds from their operations.

Did you know that Elise Cusack was jjust appointed to the Board, replacing Lou Ciminelli, who is stepping down?

New York Power Authority

[WNYresident]

Originally posted by Buff Lifer
Their website descibes the NYS Power Authority as a state owned, non=profit, public- benefit energy corporation that does not use any tax revenues or state credit. they finance construction of thier projects through bond sales to private investors, repaying bondholders with proceeds from their operations.

Did you know that Elise Cusack was jjust appointed to the Board, replacing Lou Ciminelli, who is stepping down?

New York Power Authority

If it's "non-profit" why does electric cost so much in NYS compared to like 44 other states that have way lower electric costs?

Why is there money being taken from the power authority to fund other types of things? Like how they want money from the power authority for water front developement.

I would rather see electricity be half the cost in NYS than what is now.

[citymouse]

You won't see the rates go down. Higgins is not out of line in asking for a bigger share of the profits this Authority is raking in from our regional asset in places like NYC.
Why shouldn't he.
As far as him being a "King of Pork" forget it. He is hardly the type. Honest as the day is long. He is very serious about using the money to improve the conditions that affect the quality of life in this area.
Or would you rather there be a raise in taxes to achieve that end?
Two things he said when he was running;
He wanted to tackle waterfront development and he was aware of the power authority agreement coming up and wanted to see the local area share in the benefits of it being here.
He kept his word. (His opponet, by the way, when questioned during the campaign about the power authority's agreement expiring, admitted she knew little about it).
Obviously the people in this district made the right choice.

[Night Owl]

Obviously the people in this district made the right choice.

Don't make it sound like it was a "land-slide" victory. It was a close race and you know it.

[crlachepinochet]

Originally posted by Night Owl
Obviously the people in this district made the right choice.

Don't make it sound like it was a "land-slide" victory. It was a close race and you know it.

Perhaps you're reading too much into citymouse's sentence. Higgins did win, after all.

Why does the PA sell bonds for capital projects? If it makes hundreds of millions of dollars every year, why should we have to pay interest?

[biker]

Originally posted by Buff Lifer

Did you know that Elise Cusack was jjust appointed to the Board, replacing Lou Ciminelli, who is stepping down?

New York Power Authority

I hope this isn't the beginning of the big payoff.

The 2006 budget is going to be voted on by the current Legislature; seven who aren't running plus X who will have been defeated.

As a final act of spite, I foresee them leaving a legacy of the biggest property tax increase in history.

Someone on this message board said they'd never do that, because they'd be raising their own taxes, too.

They'd gladly raise their own taxes by a few hundred a year if, in exchange, they were appointed to a job paying $50k a year.

[Boost Buffalo]

As a final act of spite, I foresee them leaving a legacy of the biggest property tax increase in history.
[/QUOTE]

right, and the so called tax revolt has been reduced to nothing more than a moan and a wimper. Seems it was short lived and questionably effective.

And the PC candidates dont have any real understanding of government/business and their slogans just dont seem to have much depth.