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GI, 4 others seek NYPA benefits by Karen Keefe
A recently formed coalition contends that more than 260,000 residents of Erie County shoreline communities – including Grand Island – have been left out of settlements reached prior to the expected relicensing of the Niagara Power Project in August 2007. Grand Island Supervisor Peter McMahon is one of five municipal leaders seeking a better deal for residents along the Niagara River and its tributaries, to compensate for the impact they say the power project has on their towns and cities. “Our communities have experienced the negative effects of erosion and sedimentation, fluctuating water levels, flooding and high power costs,” the leaders said. “If they’re causing it, they should fix it,” McMahon said of the New York Power Authority, which operates the Niagara Power Project. Low-cost Power, Funds Sought Members of the Public Power Coalition held a news conference in Aqua Lane Park next to the Town of Tonawanda Water Treatment Plant to illustrate their complaint that the power project has made operation of their wastewater and water treatment plants more costly, as well as hurting business and raising taxes in their communities. The supervisors and mayors said their residents are caught between the twin detriments of the ice boom and the Niagara River water intakes, both of which cause erosion, flooding and other problems. In particular, McMahon and the other leaders are seeking: •Less expensive electric power for commercial and residential use. •Payments that recognize the negative effects of the power project and the need for compensation similar to settlements offered to other municipalities. McMahon said he is pushing harder for low-cost power, because that benefit would increase in value to the communities. McMahon was joined at the news conference by Town of Tonawanda Supervisor Ronald Moline, Amherst Supervisor Satish Mohan and North Tonawanda Mayor Lawrence V. Soos. City of Tonawanda Mayor Ronald Pilozzi is also a member of the coalition, although he was not present Wednesday. Members of the coalition all agree that hundreds of thousands of dollars has been spent in their communities to remediate the effects of shoreline erosion, but they also pointed out they are not currently in line for Power Authority compensation. “The New York Power Authority does not want to come to the table and deal with us,” Soos said. “For 50 years, the Power Authority has raped our environment and almost bankrupted our communities.” Mohan said water is the area’s greatest resource, but added it is continually drawn off by the Power Authority for its operations. Several coalition members referred to a plan in the works for an Ontario power company to build a 7-mile tunnel to divert event more water from the Niagara River. “Let us be fair, our resources should stay here,” Mohan said. Some of Highest Rates in Nation Moline also pointed out that towns and cities in the coalition “are paying some of the highest power rates in the country,” despite being less than 10 miles from the power project. He said in 2005, the bill for electricity to run his town’s water treatment plant was about 11 cents per kilowatt hour, or $600,000 annually, while out-of-state concerns pay a fraction of that. He said the cost to produce that power at the Niagara Power Project was about a penny per kilowatt hour. “Low cost power would increase job opportunities and ultimately lower property taxes,” Moline said. McMahon said the Grand Island has been involved in the relicensing process since it began years ago. He said the coalition was formed earlier this year when the five communities realized their interests weren’t adequately dealt with when the Power Authority announced its multimillion-dollar agreements with the host communities in Niagara County, as well as Buffalo and Erie County. Environmental Impact The five communities argued for separate compensation at a recent public hearing on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement released in July to assess the power project’s impact on the area. The PPC told FERC that the two longest continuous reaches of erosion in the upper Niagara River were at the north of Grand Island, at the north end of Buckhorn Island and on the east side of Grand Island opposite Tonawanda Island. Several tributaries on Grand Island are also affected by erosion caused by fluctuating water levels, the PPC said. These include Woods, Gun, Spicer and Big Sixmile creeks. The PPC report to FERC also concluded that the construction of transmission facilities from the power project has essentially cut Grand Island in half. “The corridor has not only taken up valuable land, but has also literally bisected properties, making them impossible to develop.” The report said “the potential tax base loss cannot be dismissed.” Residents’ Docks Affected The PPC also believes that water level fluctuations caused by the power project have resulted in higher flood insurance costs and negative effects on shoreline habitats and residences. “Homeowners must either dredge or move their docks in response to the erosion and sedimentation that have occurred,” the report to FERC says. Other water fluctuation concerns heard in past months involve boaters in the shoreline communities who contend with lower water levels and the potential damage risks to their engines and vessels. McMahon recently received Town Board approval to sign a contract with an environmental consultant to review the impact of the Niagara Power Project relicensing on Grand Island. Ecology & Environment of Lancaster will be paid a fee of no more than $13,500 to act as the town’s consultant on the relicensing. The PPC has the support of state Sen. Mary Lou Rath of Amherst, who attended Wednesday’s news conference, as well as Assemblyman Robin Schimminger, who sent a representative. The coalition also seeks support from the area congressional delegation, including Louise Slaughter, D-38th District, Fairport; and U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y. Coalition members said the efforts of U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins secured multimillion-dollar settlements for Buffalo and Erie County. |
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