Business energy discount program extended

A 13-year-old program that provides energy discounts to companies that hire within the state, including 35 Long Island firms, won a last-minute reprieve from the State Senate this week.

The Tuesday night vote would extend the Power for Jobs program, which grants energy discounts to New York companies that commit to certain in-state job levels, to May 15, 2011. The Assembly passed the extension June 30. Gov. David A. Paterson has 10 days from Senate passage to sign the extension.

The participating companies have not received funding since the last program extension expired June 2.

Long Island companies that were affected by suspension of the $80-million program include North Shore/LIJ Health Systems, Kozy Shack, ITT Corp. and JP Morgan. Funding for the program, which benefits 440 companies statewide, comes from the New York Power Authority.

In the past, Paterson has pushed to expand the number of companies, and to attract new ones to the state, through a proposed program called Energize New York, rather than extend Power for Jobs. Paterson's spokesman, Morgan Hook, didn't return calls and an e-mail seeking comment Thursday. One major backer of Power for Jobs urged him to sign the extension. "There are too many livelihoods dependent on this program to allow it to lapse," said Assemb. Kevin Cahill (D-Kingston).

Michael White, chairman of the Long Island Regional Planning Council, said he backed the extension but also supports Energize New York. It would provide access to cheap hydropower to many more companies than the 440 in Power for Jobs, including Long Island firms. Power for Jobs, he noted, is not open to companies that aren't already signed up.

In other energy matters, the Senate also voted Tuesday to put a one-year moratorium on a controversial approach to drilling for natural gas, called hydrofracking. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is studying chemicals used in the process to determine their impact on drinking water."We simply cannot move forward until we have all the facts," said Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who supported a moratorium. The Assembly has yet to vote on the measure.