The Cuomo administration’s top energy official defended a plan that would all but privatize the Long Island Power Authority, arguing that a competing proposal to restructure it as a fully municipalized public utility would be unwieldy and could perpetuate political meddling. “Municipalization could take many of the problems LIPA has had for years and make them even worse,” Richard Kauffman, the governor’s chairman for energy and finance, said in an email to City & State on Thursday. “It would mean… [More]

  Just when you thought Albany couldn’t get any more disgusting, Vito Lopez’s ethics-bending sexual harassment report became public. The findings eviscerate Lopez for his lecherous behavior toward eight former staff members and taint Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver as his enabler. The report’s slimy details made us so uncomfortable that we’ll go take another shower while you take a look at our winners and losers.   Ray Halbritter – The Oneida Nation’s representative extolled this week’s catchall agreement between his people, the state and two… [More]

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has made it clear that he wants to privatize the Long Island Power Authority, saying in his State of the State address that it should be sold off and repeating this week that privatization makes the most sense of any possible course of action. But with Long Island lawmakers and residents worried that selling LIPA to a private company would make their already high electricity bills even more costly, administration officials have been careful to say that privatization is… [More]

Joe Martens Commissioner, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Q: Is DEC being transparent and open enough in its hydrofracking review? Some opponents have criticized DEC over its process, especially after a year-old health summary was leaked to the press this month while Freedom of Information requests went unanswered. JM: New York’s review of high-volume hydraulic fracturing has provided extensive and ample opportunity for the public to review and comment, including three public comment periods. The health summary you… [More]

When Superstorm Sandy battered Long Island and shut down power for thousands of residents and businesses for days or weeks, much of the frustration residents felt was quickly directed at the Long Island Power Authority, which was criticized for its slow response and poor communications. Since then, public officials have agreed that something needs to be done to change the unusual structure of LIPA—but there’s little agreement as to what the solution is. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has called for privatizing… [More]

If ever there were a region with a political split personality, it would be Long Island.… [More]

An annotated press release about a Moreland Commission on the storm response.… [More]

At a press conference today, Gov. Andrew Cuomo declined to comment on whether JCOPE or another investigatory body should look into the possibility Senate Deputy Majority Leader Tom Libous improperly used his position to secure a position at a law firm for his son, as a witness in a federal corruption trial inWhite Plains testified this week. “It is an appropriate area for an attorney general, for JCOPE to comment on.  But for me, I don’t think it’s an appropriate… [More]

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has blasted the Long Island Power Authority for its frustratingly slow efforts to restore power after Tropical Storm Irene, but the governor hasn’t been so quick to exert his own power on the public authority. But the governor’s delay in installing new leadership at LIPA may give him greater freedom to criticize the public authority since he is not responsible for any of its appointees, some observers say. Even before the storm hit, LIPA’s debt woes and… [More]

On Monday, John Dyson was confirmed by the State Senate as a newly elected trustee of the New York Power Authority, with the expectation that he will eventually be voted in as chairman. Meanwhile, speculation is ramping up among energy industry insiders about whether Dyson’s appointment will ultimately lead to the demise of NYPA’s flamboyant CEO, Richie Kessel.… [More]