European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 29, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday March 29, 1992 the stars and stripes a Page 5 Cuomo cancels Power Deal with Quebec by the new York times Albany . A gov. Mario m. Cuomo on Friday abruptly Cut Short negotiations with the Quebec government and cancelled a 20-year contract to buy Power from a giant hydroelectric Complex that Quebec wants to build in the Canadian subarctic. The governor said that new York did not need the Power and that it would be cheaper to rely on Energy conservation and other Energy sources instead. State Energy officials said Consumers could actually pay less because of the move. The cancellation was done without penalty under an escape clause written into the 1989 agreement. The decision represents a severe setback for Quebec for which $12 billion in expected payments from new York was critical capital for financing the controversial project Many analysts said and even for bolstering the provinces balance of Trade if it Ever secede from Canada. Although Quebec officials insisted Friday that they intended to go ahead with the project in the Remote James Bay Region the analysts said the decision is almost certain at a minimum to delay construction for several years. The announcement by Cuomo and new York Power authority chairman Richard m. Flynn was hailed As a major Victory by environmentalists and native leaders in Canada. These groups maintain the project would devastate the James Bay wilderness and destroy the Way of life of the Cree indians who live there. But in a statement Cuomo said the decision was made primarily on economic grounds not on environmental questions which he said were ultimately up to Canadian officials anyway. New York Energy analysts calculated that the que Bec contracts would actually be slightly More expensive for new York Consumers than relying on conservation and other Energy sources including natural Gas. The state was to Start receiving the Power in 1995. Perhaps More fundamentally several analysts said the new York decision was something of a landmark since it represented one of the first times that government officials had undertaken a Large scale economic review that compared the value of Energy conservation against Large scale Energy purchases. A the economic arguments just were piling up a said David r. Wooley a Law professor at Pace University Scenter for environmental Legal studies. A a it a a Case where environmentalists used the Power of the marketplace to halt a destructive project. Conservation competes very Well when you give it a  Flynn said the Power authority had significantly increased its projections in recent years about the role that conservation would play in meeting Energy demand. The authority estimated this year that there would be an average annual increase of just 0.6 percent in the states Peak demand for electricity Between now and 2007, Down significantly from a projection of 1.1 percent at the time the contracts were signed three years creased estimates of the role that Independent or non Utility Power generators were expected to play in supplying the states electricity. Although there were Many indications in the last year that new York might shy away from the contract the timing of Cuomo a decision stunned both advocates and opponents of the plan because the state was not required to make a final decision until nov. 30. Cuomo ago at the same time Flynn said there were greatly in new York was expected to use the time to bargain with Hydro Quebec the provincial Utility in Quebec for a reduced Price that could have made the Power far More attractive. The state was looking for a discount of 30 percent or More. But Francis Murray Cuomo a chief adviser on environmental and Energy affairs said it had become Clear that Quebec was unlikely to offer any major Cost concessions. A we had numerous conversations with them and we had absolutely no reason to believe that Hydro Quebec had any flexibility with respect to Price Quot Murray said. There were also growing indications that Many of the major downstate utilities to whom the authority planned to Channel the electricity wanted out of the contract. In the stars and stripes 10 year Sago March 29,1982 a salvadorans waited in Long lines outside voting Booths in Defiance of leftist guerrilla attacks across the country designed to scare people from the polls. 20 years ago March 29,1972 a the supreme court upheld its ban on cigarette advertising on radio and television despite appeals from the National association of broadcasters and six broadcasting companies. 30 years ago March 29,1962 a the syrian army seized Power in a lightning but bloodless coup. It announced the dissolution of syrians 4-month-old constituent Assembly and Quot accepted the resignation of syrian president Nazem Kudsi. 40 years ago March 29,1952 the West German government warned that Quot further terror acts Quot May take place following the abortive mail bomb plot against Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. The bomb killed one Munich Policman. California school chief charged with using Public funds to Aid wife world War ii 50 years ago today 29 march1. 9. 4. 2 by the los Angeles times Sacramento Calif. California state schools chief Bill Honig surrendered Friday at a Sacramento sheriffs office for booking on felony conflict of interest charges. A Short time later state attorney general Dan Lungren broke a three Day silence about the indictment handed Down by a Sacramento county grand jury late tuesday. Lungren said Honig the state superintendent of schools used Public Money to pay consultants employed by an Enterprise run by Honigs wife Nancy. This violated conflict of interest provisions of the state government code Lungren said because Nancy Honig was serving As president of the Quality education project or sep a private non profit company and was receiving a salary that eventually reached $108,000 a year. In addition sep paid the Honigs at least $30,000 to rent office space in the family Home in san Francisco. Honig was released on his own recognizance after the booking. If Honig is found guilty of the charges in the four count indictment he could be sentenced to As Long As three years in prison and would be disqualified from holding Public office. Honigs current term in statewide office expires at the end of 1994. Lungren a Republican denied that the indictment was part of a right Wing a a Cabala to drive Honig a Democrat from office As Bill Honig the California school superintendent who is under indictment faces Nieddu. The state schools chief has said. The Honig accusation a demeans the system a the attorney general said. A it is unfair to the grand jury and the judge Sacramento Superior court judge Peter Mering who supervises the  shortly after 2 . Friday Honig accompanied by his attorney Hugh Levine of san Francisco slipped through a Back door of the Sacramento county sheriffs downtown office to be booked photographed and fingerprinted. He emerged 45 minutes later and was immediately surrounded by news people and televisions cameras. Honig Only once gave any hint of the stress of recent events. Questioned about the booking procedure he said a there Are other things id rather have done on this Friday  7ts British troops in Burma attack Paun de on the Irrawaddy tront in an attempt to relieve japanese pressure on the chinese defenders of Tou goo to the East. In London Britain announces India will be freed As an Independent Dominion in the British Commonwealth once Germany and Japan Are Defeated. German naval forces based in Norway fail to intercept a Supply Convoy to soviet Murmansk California water District halts rationing source 2t�w Days of Ivar. W h Smirin 5udnshors inc. Re Una a Juc of Vav Var ii.  ecu a. -.<6 map by the los Angeles times los Angeles a signalling an end to the longest period of water rationing in local history Southern californians biggest water supplier voted Friday to cancel mandatory conservation. The metropolitan water District a which warned that the 6-year-old drought is still far from Over a announced that recent Rains successful conservation programs and an increased water allocation from the state had left the area with sufficient reserves to make it through the year. Consequently officials said mandatory rationing is not necessary now. In its place the water Board called for a voluntary 10 percent cutback beginning wednesday by the 27 smaller agencies that buy water wholesale from the Board which services six counties in Southern California. The vote taken As yet another Rainy Day soaked los Angeles area is expected to prompt a Ripple effect in the More than 300 communities from Ventura county to the mexican Border included in the water boards territory. In essence the boards action will free up More water for its institutional customers allowing them in turn to ease restrictions on Consumers. More than 200 cities including los Angeles have adopted some mandatory rationing rules during the past two years. While some have already lifted water sanctions most still have conservation programs in effect. Los Angeles City Council members predicted the move would encourage an easing of sanctions for City dwellers who have spent the past year grousing about Short showers and Brown lawns. A i think there a no question we re going to Roll Back mandatory rationing in some form a said los Angeles City councilwoman Joan Milke Flores who noted that the City Council is scheduled to vote on a proposed easing of its Man dated 15 percent conservation level tuesday