Syracuse beginning public power study
News10Now
Bill Carey
May 22nd, 2008
http://news10now.com/Default.aspx?ArID=116640
Syracuse beginning public power study
May 22, 2008, News10Now
By: Bill Carey
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- His face is a familiar one from campaigns of the past. Howie Hawkins helped create the national Green Party and has carried its standard into races for everything from congress to common council Along the way, he has doggedly pushed an agenda of alternative ideas.
"A lot of times things make common sense, but it's more than the elected officials are used to dealing with," Hawkins said.
For 15 years, Hawkins has helped to lead the charge for a public power system in the city of Syracuse, making it a campaign issue. He has circulated petitions and organized support from various community groups. And eventually, the city of Syracuse came around, authorizing $150,000 for a feasibility study of a public power system
"We started fighting city hall, now I think we're working with city hall," said Hawkins.
With energy costs skyrocketing, it's a case of events making yesterday's fringe proposal an important part of the city's agenda.
"You know Syracuse suffered a real boom with the building of the Erie Canal which, you know, was at one point Clinton's Ditch," said Syracuse Common Councilor Lance Denno.
Proponents have found strong public support for the idea. They point to the nearby village of Solvay, which has its own power company. While electricity costs an average of over 16 cents a kilowatt hour statewide, the people of Solvay pay a little over three cents.
"The real savings is in generating our own supply," said Hawkins. "Under deregulation, you basically have two major suppliers. There's not competition. There hasn't been a reduction in prices."
Hawkins and others claim eventually that a city system, generating its own electricity, would produce savings of close to $40 million on local utility bills. And they hope some of that money could be used to examine new renewable energy sources for the city, lowering bills and saving the environment.
"Sometimes there's an idea whose time has come and I think this is one of those ideas," said Hawkins.
The city of Syracuse has requested bids for the feasibility study. The mayor expects the study to be completed by later in the year.
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