Chuck with Board members at the Albany Institute of History & Art. In the FY02 budget, Chuck secured a $125,000 grant that will help the museum to catalog its collection on-line.

Chuck's Activities in the Capital Region
Here's some highlights of what Chuck has done for the Capital Region. For a complete index of Capital Region related press releases, please scroll down or click here.

• Chuck successfully lobbied Southwest Airlines CEO Herb Kelleher to begin flying to the Albany International Airport, helping bring low cost air service to Albany. Southwest began flying to the Capital Region in May of 2000. Since then business is up 22.5% and average fares dropped 22.5% in the second quarter of '00. The airport also set a record for most boardings in its history with 1,440,437 in 2000.
  
  
• Chuck and Rep. McNulty saved the Watervliet Arsenal from closure, including an estimated 700 jobs, by securing the 155 Light Weight Howitzer Navy contract, in a spirited fight with UDLP in Louisville, KY, and helped secure the full $20.1 million Defense Appropriation for unutilized plant capacity. In addition, Chuck helped secure a $210,000 grant from the federal Economic Development Administration for the Watervliet Arsenal Business and Technology Partnership to develop marketing strategies to attract new businesses to the Arsenal site.
  
  
• Project Exile: Chuck obtained $500,000 over two years for the Northern District of New York which includes Albany and Syracuse, to hire two Assistant U.S. Attorneys solely to prosecute gun crimes.
  
  
• Chuck urged the Federal Trade Commission to look into the proposed merger of Beech Nut's owner — the Milnot Corporation — with Heinz. Heinz planned to buy the Beech Nut brand name but consolidate production in Pittsburgh, PA, which would have endangered the 350 jobs at the Canajoharie and Fort Plain production lines. The FTC ultimately took the issue to court, and Heinz ultimately decided it was not longer interested in acquiring Milnot.
  
  
• Chuck helped to secure $500,000 for the new Albany/Rensselaer Amtrak Train Station in the Transportation Appropriations Bill.
  
  
• Chuck worked with Rep. McNulty to secure $4.9 million for the Albany International Airport under the Airport Improvement Program to fund the expansion of one of the runways. In addition, the Airport Improvement Program gave a number of upstate regional airports funding for various improvements, including Saratoga County Airport for $1.3 million.
  
  
• In 2000, Chuck helped secure $300,000 for the City of Albany to assist in their efforts to reclaim Albany's riverfront and turn it into an accessible recreation area for pedestrians, drivers and boaters alike. In 2001, Chuck secured another $200,000 for the project.
  
  
• Chuck played an instrumental role in the Senate in obtaining a record $70 million in direct payments to New York's apple and dairy farmers in the FY2001 Agriculture Appropriations Bill.
  
  
• Chuck successfully worked to reverse FEMA's initial denial of the State's application for West Nile Assistance, eventually securing $5 million in unprecedented emergency funding from FEMA to reimburse localities for costs associated with the outbreak.
  
  
• Chuck helped secure federal aid to help repair damages caused by excessive storms and flooding during May and June of 2000 in 12 upstate counties. Chuck also brought FEMA officials to the Lock 12 bridge in Montgomery county, which was damaged and later closed after the flooding.
  
  
• Chuck urged the Department of Energy (DOE) under both the Clinton and Bush Administrations to work with IGC SuperPower on superconductivity. DOE has signed exclusive licensing agreements with SuperPower to use technology developed at the labs to make marketable products from so-called "2nd generation high temperature" superconducting materials.
  

Press Releases for the Capital Region

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