A key vote on Governor Andrew Cuomo's economic development program, known as the Buffalo Billion, is scheduled for today. The vote comes after it was postponed for a week amid controversy and questions over a federal probe of the projects.
A special board controlled by Cuomo and the legislature is due to vote on spending nearly a half-billion dollars on the Buffalo Billion's SolarCity factory in South Buffalo. The oversight board requires unanimous agreement from the governor, Senate and Assembly in order for the projects to be approved.
The controversy over a federal probe of the governor's economic development projects caused legislative leaders to delay the vote for a week. However, now they say they are satisfied that the projects should go forward, despite the investigation by the U.S. Attorney.
Cuomo says he is confident now that the projects will be approved. "Economic development programs in Upstate New York are vitally important and have worked extraordinarily well," Cuomo said.
"Well, there are questions about what one or two people did. Alright, let's find out what those one or two people did," he says. "We'll get the facts. We'll then respond accordingly. If somebody did something wrong, I'll be the first one to throw the book at them."
The vote comes as the Buffalo News reports that the SolarCity project will cost $50 million more than previously believed because of additional cleanup costs on the former steel plant.
