N.Y. Pub. Auth. Law § 1001
Those parts of the Niagara and Saint Lawrence rivers within the boundaries of the state of New York are hereby declared to be natural resources of the state for the use and development of commerce and navigation in the interest of the people of this state and the United States. In order to provide for the most beneficial use of these natural resources, for the creation and development of hydroelectric power in the interest of the people of this state, and to preserve and enhance the scenic beauty of the Niagara Falls and river, such natural resources, including the beds and waters of the said rivers as instrumentalities of commerce and navigation, and the beds, waters, power and power sites in, upon or adjacent to or within the watersheds of the said rivers, owned or controlled by the people of the state, or which may hereafter be recovered by or come within their ownership, possession and control, shall always remain inalienable to, and ownership, possession and control thereof shall always be vested in, the people of the state.
It is further declared that the need for obtaining and maintaining a continuous and adequate supply of dependable electric power and energy is a matter of public concern to the people of the state; that the maximum capacity of the hydroelectric developments on the Niagara and Saint Lawrence rivers of the authority can be best utilized and additional public benefit derived therefrom by provision for supplemental base load nuclear generating facilities or facilities utilizing new energy technologies and that for the purposes (i) of so utilizing such capacity and of deriving such additional benefit, (ii) of providing additional low cost power and energy to attract and expand high load factor industry, (iii) of continuing an adequate supply of power and energy for the future needs of its municipal electric systems and rural electric cooperative customers, and (iv) of assisting in the development of additional dependable hydroelectric power from other waters of the state and in the development of advanced facilities having substantial prospects of reducing electricity production costs, the public interest requires that the authority participate in the generation of supplemental electric power and energy by energy storage, hydroelectric and nuclear means and new energy technologies to the extent authorized in this title.
It is further declared that there is a shortage of dependable power capacity in the southeastern part of the state and that the public interest requires that the authority assist in alleviating such shortage by providing such base load generating facilities as may be necessary or desirable to contribute to the maintenance of an adequate and dependable supply of electricity for the metropolitan transportation authority, its subsidiary corporations, the New York city transit authority, the port authority of New York and New Jersey, the city of New York, the state of New York, the United States, other public corporations and electric companies within the metropolitan area of the city of New York within the state of New York.
It is further declared (i) that there should be full cooperation among private and public entities including the authority, municipal corporations and rural electric cooperatives engaged in power generation, transmission and distribution and in associated developmental and service activities, (ii) that it is desirable that the authority and the utilities which with the authority constitute the New York power pool exchange comparable cost, performance and operating data with respect to generation by nuclear means particularly reflecting the effect of the authority's tax-free status, (iii) that it is desirable and reasonable that the authority sell power and energy from its projects other than the Niagara and Saint Lawrence hydroelectric projects, not needed for its high load factor industrial, municipal, rural electric cooperative and public transportation customers to other members of the New York power pool for resale without discrimination under their respective tariffs, (iv) that it is desirable that the authority give its fullest cooperation to the energy research and development authority in advancing and promoting the development and implementation of new energy technologies, and shall fulfill its responsibilities for the development and maintenance of increased base load for New York state to the greatest extent possible by utilizing new energy technologies made available by the energy research and development authority to the extent deemed advisable by the trustees and, (v) that upon certification by the public service commission of the commercial and economic feasibility of a new electrical energy generating technology the power authority shall, in a manner consistent with its powers and purposes, promptly plan and construct a facility to demonstrate such new technology; except, however, the authority may plan and construct such demonstration facility in the absence of such certification.
N.Y. Pub. Auth. Law § 1001