FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 21, 2005

Schumer Secures Meeting For Upper Mountain Fire Company With Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Upper Mountain Volunteer Fire Company in Lewiston Sits Smack in the Middle of the US-Canadian border, the Niagara Power Plant, the Power Facility's Giant Storage Reservoir and Niagara University
Schumer Requested Meetings with FERC and Other Agencies to Ensure Local Fire Company Has Adequate Resources, Equipment, and Training

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that representatives from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) will hold an April 26th meeting with members of the Upper Mountain Volunteer Fire Company in Lewiston, who is primarily responsible for providing fire protection and emergency response for the area surrounding the US-Canadian border crossing at Lewiston-Queenston, the Niagara Power Project and the 20-billion gallon water reservoir that holds water diverted from the Niagara River. Schumer requested the meeting last week, in a personal letter citing critical local threats, to FERC Chairman Pat Wood III.

“This is an important step towards making sure these volunteers have the resources they need to protect us,” Schumer said. “These firefighters risk their lives everyday and deserve the ear of the federal government. That is why I requested this meeting and that is why this is good news for the people of Western New York.”

On April 18th, Schumer wrote to FERC Chairman Pat Wood III and asked him to schedule a meeting with members of the Upper Mountain Volunteer Fire Company in Lewiston, whose coverage area includes the Niagara Power Project and the 20-billion gallon water reservoir that holds water diverted from the Niagara River. Schumer sent letters to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to secure meetings and begin discussions of funneling sufficient resources to the volunteer fire company.

Members of the fire company sought Schumer's intervention to obtain meetings with FERC, FEMA, NYPA to discuss ways to ensure that this lone fire department is adequately supported and backed up by other agencies in its efforts to keep the area safe. In separate letters to Wood, FEMA Undersecretary Michael Brown, and NYPA Chairman Louis P. Ciminelli, Schumer requested that the agencies meet with his staff and members of the fire department in Lewiston.

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