Leaders from business, labor, and energy associations joined Business Council President Daniel B. Walsh at an Albany press conference at which The Council renewed its call for an improved process for siting electricity-generating plants in New York State.

"Without enough power, New York's prosperity will falter -- and New York already has less power than it needs to ensure competitive pricing," Business Council President Daniel B. Walsh said at the Nov. 19 news conference.

"We must show markets and businesses worldwide that New York is a good place to build power plants, and that this state is committed to powering up prosperity for the long term."

Article X of the state Public Service Law, which governs the siting of power plants, is due to expire Dec. 31 - and the looming deadline makes the need for action on the issue especially pressing, all speakers at the news conference agreed.

Walsh emphasized the need for more power plants and a faster process for siting them.

He noted that The Public Policy Institute, The Business Council's research affiliate, has studied New York's energy needs and capabilities extensively. In February 2002, The Institute released The Power to Grow, an extensive report on these issues.

The Power to Grow concluded that:

• New York faces a pronounced need for more electric generating capacity.
  
  
• New York must still add at least a dozen new power plants with at least 9,200 megawatts of additional electricity-generating capacity within the next five years to avoid the risk of serious economic damage.
  
  
• New York must increase its capacity to foster growth, enrich the market-driven competition that is needed to drive costs down, and keep New York's electricity systems reliable.

The Council has urged lawmakers to revise Article X to accelerate the plant siting process so that New York can address these priorities.

The event was coordinated by the Independent Power Producers of New York State (IPPNY). Gavin Donohue, executive director of IPPNY, was joined at the news conference by: Richard Anderson, president of the New York Building Congress; Dennis Hughes, president of the state AFL-CIO-CIO; Howard Shapiro, president and CEO of the Energy Association of New York State; and Kathryn Wylde, president of the New York City Partnership and Chamber of Commerce.