Higgins idea seen as good for Niagara - to a point
As Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo, continues to push the New York Power Authority to give the region what he says would be its fair share of profits from the Niagara Power Project, officials in Niagara County are saying the same things they said to the Power Authority during years of negotiations in the power project's relicensing process.
The Lewiston plant, the transmission lines, the underground conduits for the hydropower facility - they all call Niagara County home.
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It was an argument that got them a 50-year settlement valued at hundreds of millions of dollars.
Higgins, who earlier this month released a proposal calling for Western New York get 36 percent of the Power Authority's annual profits, was widely praised for his efforts.
But his proposal that would give Erie County roughly 60 percent of the local share, while Niagara would get 40 percent, needs to be tweaked, several elected officials from Niagara County said.
"Simply put, at the end of the day that plant is located in our confines," Lewiston Supervisor Fred M. Newlin said in today's story in The Buffalo News. "Not to say Erie County isn't deserving of its fair share, but it has to be put in proportion, when considering where the actual location of that plant is."
Higgins told me he is open to discussing the matter with Niagara County officials.
Here's a list of his specific funding proposals.
-- Aaron Besecker
