A recent editorial (“Gov. David Pataki?” June 17) and George Marlin article (“A Hack is Back,” PostOpinion, June 18) question my tenure as Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) Chairman.
I question the omission of my energy record while heading LIPA.
I oversaw the expansion of Long Island’s electric supply by 1,800 megawatts and directed the construction of 12 small power plants and two major transmission lines that now allow LIPA to import almost 1,000 megawatts.
These projects have kept the lights on in Long Island.
A new 350-megawatt plant is being built now that will be on line next summer.
On my watch, LIPA invested almost $2.5 billion in the island’s aging electric grid, producing the most reliable service for an overhead utility in the state.
It’s astounding that The Post, which has led the battle to add generation and transmission resources in New York and which has faulted officials for failing to do so, would ignore LIPA’s record of adding resources at a rate that few other areas of the country have seen.
Richard M. Kessel
Merrick