By JIMMY LAWTON

St. Lawrence County has approved the review of the relicensing agreement put forward by the New York Power Authority and the Local Government Task Force.

The county approved the deal Monday after twice voting it down. However the county’s approval was not necessary as the majority of signatories approved the agreement already.

St. Lawrence County Legislature Chairman Joe Lighfoot said the county preferred to follow the lead of the individual communities, since it’s their prosperity that was most effected by the deal.

Once NYPA gives approval, it will end a lengthy review of the 2003 contract that allows NYPA to generate hydroelectric power in the St. Lawrence River.

Signatories include the towns of Louisville, Massena, and Waddington; the villages of Massena and Waddington; and the Massena Central School District; and Madrid-Waddington Central School District.

Massena School District rejected the agreement at a recent meeting.

Despite its approval, many signatories were unhappy with the agreement, but said they approved it because they did not think NYPA would offer a better deal.

“Are we happy with the deal? Absolutely not,” Lighfoot said of the deal in a previous interview. “But what’s the alternative?”

Conversely, the power authority said the agreement would be a boon for the county.

“This is a great day for St. Lawrence County. With these votes, NYPA and the communities can soon implement the many benefits afforded by this agreement,” said Steven Gosset of NYPA’s media relations department. “We believe it is an important step toward building the foundation that will restore the North Country’s economic prosperity and improve the quality of life for all of its residents.”

That statement was released after the deal won enough votes from signatories to pass.

A summary of the tentative agreement released by NYPA:

• Up to $5 million in funding for an economic development study to assist the LGTF communities to attract business and industry. The study will include identifying alternatives to leverage existing monetary and power resources.

• The use by businesses and farms in St. Lawrence, Jefferson and Franklin counties of 239 megawatts of hydropwoer that Alcoa temporarily relinquished. The low-cost power will reduce electricity costs by a total of $10 million a year for up to three years.

• Initiation of an energy efficiency and renewable energy-savings program for LGTF government and school buildings that will include $1.5 million in grants to fund energy audits for identifying opportunities for reducing energy costs. The program will be aligned with the governor’s BuildSmart NY initiative, intended to reduce energy use in public buildings by 20 percent by 2020.

• Funding support for first responders at Massena Memorial Hospital, Louisville Company #2, and the Massena and Waddington rescue squads, with the amount to be determined by an ongoing study.

• Improvements to an emergency access road to Wilson Hill Island in the Town of Louisville and an evaluation of improving access to town property in the vicinity of the Iroquois Dam, part of the St. Lawrence-FDR project.

• Annual financial support for the maintenance of identified roads in the vicinity of the hydroelectric plant used by NYPA for its operations.

• Hiring an independent recreational facility consultant to assess possible measures for increased recreational boating opportunities and fishing tournaments to support additional tourism, with NYPA committing up to $7.5 million for the improvements.

• An additional $1 million for a shoreline stabilization program for landowners adjacent to St. Lawrence-FDR within the Towns of Waddington, Louisville and Massena, with elimination of restrictions on the length and cost of the erosion mitigation initiatives.

• Working with the LGTF, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and outdoor fishing clubs to identify additional opportunities to enhance walleye spawning in upstream tributaries of the St. Lawrence River.