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NYPA: Our
History
The New York Power Authority has a long and proud history that has
influenced the electric utility industry far beyond the borders of
New York State. As an early experiment in public power, it served as
a model for federal initiatives such as the Tennessee Valley
Authority and the Bonneville Power Administration, yet faced years
of debate and delay in New York. Today, the Power Authority produces
some of the cheapest electricity in North America, helping to drive
New York’s economic revival, while its efforts to promote efficient
use of energy and to develop new, environmentally friendly power
sources continue to break new ground and to draw national and
international attention. 'Benefit of the People'
The first seeds of a power authority were planted by New York
Governor Charles Evans Hughes (later Chief Justice of the United
States), who in 1907 declared that the state’s undeveloped
waterpower "should be preserved and held for the benefit of the
people and should not be surrendered to private interests." Planning
for public ownership began, but a proposal eventually foundered in
the Legislature because of its high cost.
In 1914, Theodore Roosevelt, former governor and president, warned
against "waterpower barons" seeking a monopoly on New York’s natural
resources. Governor Alfred E. Smith called throughout much of the
1920s for hydropower development by a state authority, but his
efforts failed to win approval in the Legislature.
Ultimately, Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt gained
public and legislative support for a Power Authority "to give back
to the people the waterpower which is theirs." In 1931, a commission
established to study the hydroelectric potential of the St. Lawrence
River called for creation of the Authority to build generating
facilities on the river. And on April 27, 1931, Roosevelt signed the
Power Authority Act into law, calling it the most important action
taken during that year’s legislative session. "It is my earnest hope
that this is the forerunner of cheaper electricity for the homes and
farms and small business people of the state," the governor said in
a radio speech as he prepared to sign the legislation.
The Power Authority’s board of trustees meets `in
Lt. Gov. Herbert H. Lehman’s office in 1931. Seated, with Gov.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, right, are, from left, Trustee Delos M.
Cosgrove, Lehman and Chairman Frank P. Walsh. Standing, from left,
are trustees Morris Llewellyn Cooke; Fred Freestone and James C. Bonbright.
But 23 years were to pass before construction began
on the St. Lawrence power project. The delay was caused principally
by navigation interests’ opposition to the St. Lawrence Seaway,
which was developed concurrently with the power project. The
solution was found in an agreement the United States had signed with
Great Britain in 1909, known as the Boundary Waters Treaty, which
established the International Joint Commission (IJC) to resolve
disputes over use of the St. Lawrence and other waterways along the
U.S.-Canadian border. In 1952, the IJC granted permits to the Power
Authority and a neighboring Canadian utility, Ontario Hydro (now
Ontario Power Generation), to build a power project spanning the
international border.
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Who we are:
Key
Dates in NYPA History |