CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE

Four New York advanced energy projects, including one in Watkins Glen, will receive $88 million in funding to support smart-grid and energy storage projects.

The funding is part of the federal economic stimulus program, formally known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

New York State Electric and Gas Corp. received $29.6 million for one of 16 awards nationwide to help fund energy storage projects that will enhance reliability and efficiency of the grid, while reducing the need for new electricity plants, according to the office of Gov. David Paterson.

NYSEG’s award will help the advanced 150-megawatt facility that utilizes an underground salt cavern to store compressed air.

This demonstration site at Watkins Glen, Schuyler County, combines with a smart-grid control system that will improve grid reliability and provide a resource to accept wind-generated power, Paterson’s office said.

Governor David A. Paterson today announced that four New York advanced-energy projects will receive more than $88 million in funding to support Smart Grid demonstration and energy storage projects through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. These projects were competitively selected with 28 other projects funded nationwide to help build a smarter, more efficient and more resilient electrical grid.

New York strengthened the applications by pledging a 10 percent match or $8.8 million from New York’s Innovation Economy Matching Grants Program. In total, the awards of $620 million announced Tuesday by U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu will be leveraged with $1 billion in funds from the private sector to support more than $1.6 billion in total Smart Grid projects nationally.

“The fact that our State is well represented among the states in receiving these funds is testament to New York’s position as leader in the New Economy. Smart Grid and energy storage efforts are critical pieces of my ‘45 by 15’ energy efficiency and renewable energy goals, and continue our path to creating a stronger clean energy economy and a cleaner environment for all New Yorkers,” Governor Paterson said. “Three State authorities, including NYSERDA, LIPA and NYPA, are actively involved in these projects, and we are proud of the recognition they have received. I applaud President Obama, Energy Secretary Steven Chu and our entire Congressional Delegation for their work to secure these critical funds that promote economic recovery, development and environmental stewardship.”

The funding awards are divided into two topic areas. In the first group, New York received three out of 16 awards nationwide to support fully integrated, regional Smart Grid demonstrations. These included:

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It's hard to get environmental advocates and natural gas industry officials together in one room, let alone on the same panel.

Both of those things are scheduled to happen Monday, when Cornell Cooperative Extension holds a summit on Marcellus Shale development in the Southern Tier. The massive geological formation, running under the Southern Tier and throughout Pennsylvania, holds the largest natural gas resource in the country. Its full-scaled development carries the prospects of significant changes to the region's landscape and economy.

Regulators, geologists, lawyers, emergency responders, landowners, municipal officials, economic developers and other stakeholders are scheduled to meet at the Owego Treadway Inn for a day-long summit on the impact of Marcellus development. The event, open to the public, begins at 9 a.m., with registration at 8:15 a.m.

"There are many different perspectives to this, and we are trying to present them all," said Andy Fagan, director of Cornell Cooperative Extension offices covering Tioga and Chemung counties.

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A federal agency has sided with Seneca Lake residents and landowners against a power company found to be drawing too much water from the lake for its hydroelectric operations, two congressman announced Wednesday.

According to U.S. Reps. Michael Arcuri, D-Utica, and Eric Massa, D-Corning, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) denied an appeal by Seneca Falls Power Co. of a previous ruling that the company drained more water than allowed in its permit.

Residents around Seneca Lake complained in 2008 to Arcuri and Massa about lower-than-normal water levels in the lake, making it difficult to move boats in and out of marinas and hoists, among other difficulties.

FERC investigated in April and issued a compliance order July 16 that the company had been draining more water than allowed from Seneca Lake to operate its hydropower operations at the lake's northern end.

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Who's going to pay to ensure local water wells are not polluted by Marcellus Shale drilling?

State officials say they are still trying to figure that out, but area counties may be off the hook.

The state's proposal that would require local health departments to oversee gas drilling is being reconsidered in light of an order by Gov. David Paterson.

That order, signed in April, prohibits state mandates on municipalities without assessing their full economic impact, including costs and benefits.

Claudia Hutton, head of public affairs for the state Department of Health, said the governor's policy has led to rethinking a regulatory proposal by the DEC that would leave oversight of water quality testing in drilling zones to local health departments.

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A new report on state renewable energy regulations gives California, Colorado, New Jersey and Oregon top marks and failing grades for Georgia, Idaho and Texas.

“Freeing the Grid,” which was written by renewables advocates, examines each state’s policies on net metering and interconnection procedures. Those are two of the main regulatory elements that enable homeowners and businesses to connect solar panels or other energy technologies to the electric grid, and be reimbursed for their efforts.

“If not implemented fairly or properly, these policies can pose a barrier to the development of customer-sited renewable energy,’’ the report states. Some customers, it noted, encounter “byzantine” regulations.

The report, released on Tuesday, was prepared by two nonprofit groups, Network for New Energy Choices and the Vote Solar Initiative. It lays out suggested guidelines to facilitate the adoption of renewable energy. The groups are hoping for improvement to existing state regulations, and ultimately for a favorable federal policy.

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Spain’s Self-inflicted Economic Wounds from “Green Jobs” Regimes

…for every renewable energy job that the State manages to finance, we can be confident that on average 2.2 jobs will be destroyed, to which we have to add those jobs that the non-subsidized investment would have created.

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The expected boom in natural gas leasing has some local lending institutions reconsidering their mortgage policies.

And local borrowers who stand to make a lot of money from leasing their potential gas rich properties to energy companies are concerned, lenders say.

"Our switchboards have been lighting up," said Frank E. Berrish, president and chief executive officer of Visions Federal Credit Union, headquartered in Endicott.

"There has been concern and confusion."

Berrish may be getting more calls than other lenders about the gas lease issue. Visions holds more mortgages in Broome and Tioga counties than any other lending institution, the credit union president said.

At issue is how the leasing or selling of gas and mineral rights could affect the value of the mortgaged property.

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A Horseheads couple has filed a $5 million lawsuit against a gas drilling services company that located next to their home and has become a constant source of noise, diesel fumes and other inconveniences.

The suit was filed this week in Chemung County's state Supreme Court by David and Deborah Harnas, 145 Old Ithaca Road, against Gas Field Specialists Inc., located in The Center at Horseheads industrial park. In addition to punitive damages, the lawsuit also seeks to have the Pennsylvania-based company cease its Horseheads operations.

The Harnases' attorney, Luciano Lama of Ithaca, said the couple contacted him about two weeks ago after unsuccessfully taking their concerns to Horseheads village officials. Lama said he and his clients will "be looking at the village next."

The Harnases' lawsuit is assigned to Supreme Court Justice Judy O'Shea. A hearing date has been set for Dec. 22, Lama said. The filing also requested a temporary restraining order be placed against the company while the lawsuit works its way through the court, but O'Shea did not grant the order. Lama said that issue will be one of his first orders of business at the December hearing.

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ALBANY -- National Grid is not giving up on its plans for a "smart grid" demonstration project in upstate New York.

The London-based utility recently lost out on $200 million in federal stimulus funding it was seeking for projects in New York and New England that would have allowed it to test new technologies such as advanced meters and plug-in electric cars that make up what's generally called the "smart grid."
The New York portion of the project -- expected to cost $250 million -- would have taken place in Saratoga County and a small portion of Schenectady County, as well as parts of the Syracuse area.

Half the funding would have come from the Department of Energy through the stimulus package, and the other half would have come from utility customers.

However, National Grid was not among the chosen when President Barack Obama announced $3.4 billion in smart grid funding for 100 projects across the country on Oct. 27.

But National Grid is now telling state regulators that it may try to do a scaled-down version of its smart grid pilot, although how it would pay for the project remains unclear.

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