Lawmakers question NYPA president

Lawmakers in Niagara County want the state power authority to show them the money. They're tired of seeing power profits generated in western New York going elsewhere.

Richard Kessel, Chief Executive Officer of the New York Power Authority, came before the Niagara County Legislature on his own free will Tuesday night. He said he wanted to talk about the good things the authority is doing in western New York. Since taking over, Kessel said he's trying to change perception that most of the power from the Niagara Power Project goes elsewhere around the state.

"More than 50 percent of what we take out of that project we put back into western New York," Kessel said.

But State Senator George Maziarz argues the people of western New York deserve more than they're getting from the Power Authority, since the Niagara Power Project is in their own backyard.

"When you're taking money from the Power Authority, you're taking money from Niagara," Maziarz said.

A bill that swept hundreds of millions of dollars from the Power Authority to the state's general fund recently passed by just one vote. Senator Maziarz voted against it.

"It's a loan that will never be paid back. It's $550 million dollars stolen from this community."