Home > NEWS > Email from the President > Progress in the Buffalo Niagara Region

Nothing (good) in Albany; Progress at home
December 8, 2009

Results – or, more appropriately, lack of results – coming out of Albany over the past few weeks again were disappointing (and predictably so), as the state legislature once again managed to ignore the state’s growing fiscal crisis. Our supposed representatives did get around to approving a couple special interest hand-outs.

Back at home, however, our advocacy and business development efforts continue to be in high gear, and I am pleased to see some long-term initiatives coming to fruition. A great deal of work by both our members and staff – which is key to any success we have – has gone into some recent economic development “wins” which I want to share with you:

IDA Tiered Incentives
You may have read about the agreement among Erie County’s six IDAs to implement “tiered incentives,” and what it can mean for smarter economic development in this region. The Partnership has been working with our economic development partners for nearly a decade on this initiative, and thus, it’s particularly satisfying to see such positive action. The new incentive system will allow economic development in Erie County to be steered toward the projects that offer the greatest long-term economic and community impact based on factors that have been agreed upon to be the most strategic. We now have our sights set on applying the same tiered incentive concept at the state level into discussions surrounding statewide IDA policy, the replacement program for Empire Zones, allocation of low-cost power and application of brownfields tax credits. We’ll keep you posted on our progress.

Local Sourcing for Renewable Energy Initiatives
As the nation’s interest in renewable energy quickly grows, the Buffalo Niagara region has drawn substantial attention in the manufacturing piece of “greening” the planet, due in no small part to the availability of low-cost hydropower and local companies that can utilize their existing expertise to supply the renewable energy industry. The Partnership has advocated strongly for any renewable energy efforts in our region to rely heavily upon local sourcing – and the message now has gotten through. In one of the region’s first forays into the manufacturing of renewable energy components, the request-for-proposal (RFP) recently issued by NYPA regarding Offshore Wind Farms includes explicit language that NYPA will favor proposals that utilize local labor and materials. This is a small clause in the RFP, but a tremendous advancement for Buffalo Niagara’s existing and emerging renewable energy suppliers, who are one of our target industries.

IDA “Reform”
As I mentioned last week, much credit goes to the Buffalo Niagara region for keeping a particularly burdensome version of IDA “reform” from reaching the floor of the state legislature. Our members answered the call-to-action, and informed the governor’s office quickly (some talking directly with him and the lieutenant governor) of the economic devastation the legislation, as written, would cause. The point was made so well, in fact, that Governor Paterson stated while here that he didn’t even know how and why the terrible proposal was made public. We can be certain IDA reform will resurface, and will continue the good fight – including letting you know when it’s time to weigh in again.

Through our on-going Employer Outreach Program, we have been able to not only identify a broader scope of issues directly impacting business in which to engage, but we’ve also have found additional employers to help us in our follow-up advocacy and business development efforts. Thanks to everyone who has weighed in on the issues above and on the host of other initiatives we’re currently undertaking. It’s your voice, and your case studies, that our federal, state and regional government officials hear most clearly, and your active engagement on the issues is pivotal to success. Keep up the good work!

Andrew J. Rudnick