Members of the Public Power Coalition - officials from Grand Island, Town of Tonawanda, North Tonawanda, City of Tonawanda and Amherst - stated their case for a settlement Wednesday during a news conference at the Town of Tonawanda's wastewater treatment plant.

The communities, located on the Niagara River and its tributaries, believe they too have endured the negative impact and byproducts of the hydropower plant in Lewiston.

"It defies logic that there are impacts requiring compensation to the north and south of us, but none in the middle," said Grand Island Supervisor Peter A. McMahon.

"We represent more than 260,000 people; this transcends political parties," said Amherst Supervisor Satish B. Mohan. The coalition is opposed to the 50-year relicensing of the Power Project without consideration of their communities. The coalition has hired an attorney to submit paperwork detailing the plant's environmental effects to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which released a draft environmental impact statement last month about the project's impact on surrounding communities. The five communities were not included in the statement and are asking to be reconsidered.