CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE

Ambit Energy, one of the fastest growing Energy Services Companies (ESCOs) in the state, launched electricity and natural gas services in the New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) territory today.

“When energy markets deregulate, the consumer wins. We are proud to say that we can now offer almost every customer in the state a lower cost option compared to the incumbent provider.”

“Expanding our presence in New York allows people looking to save on energy costs another valuable option,” said Ambit Energy CEO and co-founder Jere W. Thompson, Jr. “When energy markets deregulate, the consumer wins. We are proud to say that we can now offer almost every customer in the state a lower cost option compared to the incumbent provider.”

With this launch, Ambit Energy will now offer its competitive rates to a market of more than 871,000 electric and 256,000 gas customers – more than 40 percent of upstate New York.

As they have done in other New York market areas such as Con Edison and National Grid, Ambit Energy’s team and independent Consultants will work with customers interested in switching providers, as well as those interested in the business opportunity offered through Ambit Energy.

“Now that we have expanded our presence in New York, our independent Consultants are able to serve even more people looking to save on energy costs,” said Ambit Energy CMO and co-founder Chris Chambless. “As the warmer months approach, we believe this launch is timely and will help New York consumers in the NYSEG territory switch and save.”

As in other New York markets, Ambit Energy will offer a competitive monthly rate and annual savings guarantee.

For information on Ambit Energy’s rates, services or launch into the NYSEG Territory, visit AmbitEnergy.com or call (877) 28-AMBIT

Richie Kessel has worked hard to try and change the image of the New York Power Authority, but his appointment of former board member Elise Cusack to a $77,500 part-time job is a stark reminder that this leopard has yet to change its spots.

This is the same NYPA that has a boat load of employees making over $100,000 a year, that thinks nothing of paying security guards and laborers $60,000 a pop.

I'll give Kessel credit for cutting the bonus program a year ago and holding the line in contract talks since he came on board as president and CEO.

But creating a job for Cusack - no one else was considered for the post - and attaching a $77,500 salary for part-time work it is going to prompt a lot of folks to shake their heads and say "Same old NYPA."

As George Maziarz, chairman of the Senate Energy Committee, put it: "Seventy-seven-thousand, five-hundred dollars a year? Part-time? It's outrageous."

(Click to read the entire article)

SCHENECTADY -- Union College in Schenectady is hosting a three-day symposium on "smart grid" technologies that will help boost the efficiency and effectiveness of the electrical grid.

The event, which will take place on campus from Friday through Sunday, will feature executives from IBM Corp., General Electric, National Grid and the state Department of Public Service.

U.S. Rep Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, will be the keynote speaker at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Nott Memorial. The speech is open to the public.

White Plains, NY - New York Power Authority (NYPA) President and Chief Executive Officer Richard M. Kessel announced this week that Rochester will be the site for the second Get Listed! business-to-business conference, to help support and grow New York State's clean energy economy through development of the wind power industry. Get Listed! is being held, in collaboration with the Greater Rochester Enterprise (GRE), on April 12 from 1 to 3pm at Monroe Community College. This follows the successful initial Get Listed!, which took place in Buffalo in February and had close to 200 business representatives in attendance.

NYPA issued a request for proposals (RFP) last December for what could be the nation's first fresh water wind project, the Great Lakes Offshore Wind Project (GLOW), to help increase the use of renewable energy and spur economic development opportunities.

"Rochester and the surrounding region, with its outstanding business community, are a natural fit for another Get Listed! conference as it gives the Power Authority the opportunity to inform even more New York businesses on the match-making resource, the GLOW Business Registry, available on NYPA's Web site. By attending Get Listed!, businesses will become aware of the many and varied types of industries needed by the wind power industry especially for the Power Authority's Great Lakes Offshore Wind Project," said Richard M. Kessel, president and chief executive officer, NYPA.

(Click to read the entire article)

The state's assertion that natural gas production is a clean, well-regulated industry has been called into question by memos from a health official working in drilling communities in western New York.

William T. Boria, a water resources specialist at the Chautauqua County Health Department, reported his agency has received more than 140 complaints related to water pollution or gas migration associated with nearby drilling operations. The cases correspond to a time when the industry took root in western New York decades ago, according to Boria, and continue through the last few years.

"Those complaints that were recorded are probably just a fraction of the actual problems that occurred," Boria stated in a 2004 memo summarizing the issue. County health officials tabulated information on 53 of the cases from 1983 to 2008 on a spreadsheet, including one where a home was evacuated after the water well exploded.

A separate case filed with the health department in Allegheny County found a residential well contaminated with oil last year during natural gas drilling operations nearby. The drilling company, U.S. Energy Development Corp., installed a water filtration system at the home, put the residents up in a motel and offered compensation, according to a memo from the company to the DEC.

(Click to read the entire article)

The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) has issued its annual update on the challenges facing New York State’s electricity supply and delivery system, “Power Trends 2010: New York’s Emerging Energy Crossroads.”

“A series of energy crossroads are emerging,” NYISO President & CEO Stephen G. Whitley said. “To build a smarter, greener and more reliable grid, our state will need to work through an array of key issues.”

The report identifies the major factors expected to influence the future outlook for electricity in the Empire State. These issues include the pace of economic recovery, the impact of energy efficiency initiatives, the advent of smart grid technology and the continued development of renewable power resources.

In addition to detailing the challenges, the report enumerates the various efforts currently underway to improve the electric system. These include collaborative efforts between New York and its neighboring systems, as well as a larger effort among grid operators in the Eastern Interconnection.

(Click to read the entire article)

Rochester Institute of Technology will host a "Sustainability Mobility Fair" on Saturday, May 8.

The event, free and open to the public, will feature a display of more than 20 alternative vehicles such as electric cars and motorcycles and a compressed natural gas vehicle.

Put on by the Center for Environmental Information and RIT's Center for Student Innovation, the fair is intended to highlight options for short trips other than using traditional transportation such as petroleum-powered cars.

The event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, visit www.rochesterenvironment.com/SMF.html.

Summary of the CPA 2010 Wind Conference from a single url address.

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CPA Summary Link

We've previously noted that some major oil producers are looking to the shale basins for natural gas production. See here, e.g. Well, it seems that turn-about is fair play - the Star-Telegram is reporting that some independent natural gas producers with large positions in the shale basins are turning to oil. For example: "Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake has derived more than 90 percent of its production from natural gas. But McClendon, speaking at Hart Energy's annual Developing Unconventional Gas conference at the Fort Worth Convention Center, said today's economics 'just compel you to look for oil.'"

Chemung County officials see tons of solid waste pulled from the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania as an asset, although some residents disagree.

The waste includes cuttings and mud produced by energy companies boring through the Marcellus south of the Chemung County border. Because it's regulated as solid waste, drill operators pay to get rid of it, and officials managing the Chemung County Landfill welcome it as a revenue source.

The relationship raises more questions of how Marcellus waste -- which tends to contain radioactive particles and heavy metals -- will be regulated and handled as multinational energy companies begin full-scale development of the massive natural gas reserve stretching throughout Appalachia and parts of New York.

While the state Department of Environmental Conservation has approved Chemung's acceptance of the drilling waste, opponents question whether it belongs in a municipal landfill.

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