BILL NUMBER: S1357
SPONSOR: STEC
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public authorities law, in relation to the amount of
St. Lawrence county economic development power that may be used by the
New York Power Authority to generate net earnings; and to amend the
economic development law, in relation to authority-TMED contracts
 
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this bill is to extend the program funded by the sale of
certain unallocated hydropower produced by the Power Authority of the
State of New York (NYPA) at its St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project to
support economic development in St. Lawrence County.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 - Amends the Public Authorities Law to removes from statute
the reduction to ten megawatts that is eligible for monetization for
economic development purposes in St. Lawrence County, which sunset after
5 years
Section 2 - Amends the Economic Development Law to permit an extension
of an existing contract
Section 3 - marks the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
In 2014, per an agreement between the county of St. Lawrence, the Gover-
nor of the state of New York and the New York Power Authority (NYPA),
the Legislature passed and the governor signed into law the Northern New
York Power Proceeds Allocation Act. The program was based on the previ-
ously enacted Western New York Power Proceeds Allocation Act.
The program was created to support eligible economic development
projects located or proposed to be located in St. Lawrence County by
eligible applicants. The program is funded by the sale of certain unal-
located hydropower produced by NYPA at its St. Lawrence-FDR Power
Project, which has been made available to the Town of Massena electric
Department under a contract with NYPA entered into in 2012 entitled
"Agreement Governing the Sale of St. Lawrence-PAR Project Power and
Energy" to the Town of Massena Electric Department for Economic Develop-
ment Purposes."
As of December 29, 2019, the megawatts eligible to be monetized for the
purposes of economic development in St. Lawrence County has been reduced
to ten. Ibis bill would remove the provision of law that resulted in
this reduction, restore the 20 megawatts that existed from 2014 to the
end of 2019, and provide for that megawatt monetization level to contin-
ue in perpetuity.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023-2024: S4876A, passed Senate; A29188 referred to Energy
2021-2022: S4261 passed Senate; A6206 referred to Energy
2019-20: S6916 - Energy and Telecommunications Committee.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately