"Richard M. Kessel" is a power industry executive who was formerly President and Chief Executive Officer of the New York Power Authority, the largest state-owned public utility company in the United States. Kessel started as a consumer advocate who led the opposition to the construction and operation of the Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant constructed by the Long Island Lighting Company (LILCO). He was appointed as chief executive and later chairman of the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), which oversaw the public takeover of LILCO in 1998 and the decommissioning of the Shoreham plant. Kessel has been variously described by The New York Times as someone who started out as a "constant noodge, attacking perceived wrongs and demanding changes" who later became an "exuberant executive with a hands-on approach".

He served as the Executive Director of the New York State Consumer Protection Board from 1983 to 1995, where he negotiated rate freeze agreements with Consolidated Edison, Niagara Mohawk and other electric and telephone utilities, which Kessel estimated saved consumers $1 billion.

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The days of rosy sales tax growth have come to an end.

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I don't think there's any question that over the next 10 or 12 years Long Island is going to need more gas supply to generate electricity. The question is how best to get it in a way that's economical, safe and environmentally friendly.

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The choice isn't wind or nothing. It's wind or a fossil-fuel plant.

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We're not doing anything differently than any other utility.

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We are very, very alarmed. NIFA is deeply concerned about the future of the hospital.

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He's very direct and honest and wasn't afraid to say what he thinks.

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We are blowing past all energy records that have been ever set.

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I don't think we should jump in without testing the marketplace. Be patient. If things work out, we'll be everywhere with this.

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