Collins Starts Online Petition to Urge Investigation of NYPA

March 23, 2009

StopNYPA.org lets public voice outrage over plan to raise rates and issues bonuses

Erie County Executive Chris Collins has started an online petition effort to encourage residents to join efforts to stop the New York Power Authority's (NYPA) plan to raise rates and issue bonuses to employees. Collins is asking rate payers and residents to visit StopNYPA.org and sign the online petition to ask the Attorney General to investigate this unaccountable authority and stop NYPA's plan to rob Western New York of even more economic development dollars.

Collins wrote the Attorney General late last week to ask for a formal investigation after published reports outlined NYPA's plan to issue bonuses to state employees after raising power rates by 12.1% on certain upstate customers over the next two years. This move comes on top of a recent vote by the NYPA board and the State Legislature to give New York State $500 million of NYPA surplus to plug a state budget hole.

"The actions of this unelected, unaccountable Authority have robbed our region of critical economic development funds at a time when we can least afford to lose them," said Collins. "We started StopNYPA.org to give Western New Yorkers an opportunity to voice their frustration over this latest transgression by the NYPA."

"Charging consumers rate increases in order to fund bonuses in these economic times is simply unacceptable," continued Collins. "Our taxpayers deserve better. NYPA continues to breach of public trust and many members of the NYPA board continue to engage in the kind of self-serving politics that continues to hold back our region and our state. Their actions cannot go unchecked."

Collins will collect the online signatures over the coming days and forward them to the Attorney General's office.

Attached is a copy of the letter Collins sent to the Attorney General.