In the NEWS

Paterson's solar power plan envisions 50,000 jobs - 05/15/2009
Gov. David A. Paterson will announce today that the state’s two power authorities will purchase up to 150 megawatts of solar power through a program aiming to make the state the nation’s second-biggest solar power producer.
Paterson chose a solar power conference in the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center attended by about 3,000 people from around the nation to unveil the plan, which his staff says eventually could create not only a new source of electricity but also 50,000 jobs in an entire new manufacturing industry. Read the report by Robert J. McCarthy in The Buffalo News.

Paterson backs local sharing of NYPA hydropower profits - 05/16/2009
Governor opens possibility for economic development
Western New York’s long-standing argument that profits from unused hydropower generated at Lewiston should remain in the area gained Gov. David A. Paterson’s preliminary approval Friday, setting the stage for a potentially significant influx of money for infrastructure and economic development projects.
Paterson’s promise to reassess what many Western New York officials have long considered an injustice marks a major victory for Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo, who filed a bill last month requiring the Power Authority to turn over future proceeds from the sale of unused power to a locally controlled economic development corporation. That agency would use the money to fund infrastructure work and capital improvements for public facilities in Erie and Niagara counties.
The congressman said late Friday he is pleased with the new developments, but also promised to continue to monitor the situation. Read the report by Robert J. McCarthy and James Heaney in The Buffalo News.

State OKs low-cost power for Yahoo! facility - 05/20/2009
Gov. David A. Paterson announced Tuesday that Yahoo! would bring a new data center and more than 100 jobs to Western New York, but the Internet company said it is still considering other states.
Paterson said Tuesday that Yahoo!, one of the world’s best-known Web sites and search engines, will spend $150 million to set up a new East Coast regional data center here, with at least 125 new high-tech jobs. As an inducement, the company will receive low-cost hydroelectric power from New York State. No other state taxpayer dollars will be spent on the project, officials said. The company has not chosen a site, but it is looking at two locations, one in Niagara County and one in Genesee County, Paterson said. Read the report by Jonathan D. Epstein in The Buffalo News.

Power deal would save Yahoo! $101.2 million - 05/21/2009
Subsidy package is one of the richest ever offered by the NY Power Authority.
The deal state officials are offering Yahoo! to entice it to build a data center in Western New York would provide about $810,000 in power discounts over the lifetime of the subsidy for every $50,000 job created, a Buffalo News analysis has found.
The discount would save Yahoo! an estimated $53,996 per job per year over the 15-year life of its proposed contract with the New York Power Authority. The average subsidy for companies given new power allocations in recent years is less than a quarter of that—$12,446. The offer, which Yahoo! officials are considering, represents one of the richest subsidy packages ever offered by the Power Authority. Read the report by James Heaney in The Buffalo News. Post comments on his News blog at Outrages & Insights.

Renewable power mandate overcomes hurdle in Senate - 05/21/2009
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A measure requiring utilities to generate a certain amount of electricity from renewable sources, such as wind and solar, overcame a legislative hurdle in the U.S. Senate on Thursday.
The proposed committee bill would mandate that power plants meet targets to gradually produce more renewable power, beginning with 3 percent of their output between 2011 and 2013 and rising to 15 percent between 2021 and 2039. Utilities could meet about a quarter of their renewable requirements through energy efficiency gains.The full report is here.