ALBANY — The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) announced that it will hold two virtual public statement hearings on Wednesday, January 27, 2021, related to the petition filed September 30, 2020, by Mohawk Solar, LLC (Mohawk Solar). Mohawk Solar seeks a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) from the Commission concerning its proposed solar farm project. The project will generate up to 90.5 MW of electricity in the Towns of Minden and Canajoharie, Montgomery County.

Construction and operation of the project will be subject to the terms and conditions of the Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need (CECPN) that was issued by the New York State Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment (Siting Board) on December 16, 2020. In this proceeding, Mohawk Solar asks that the Commission find and determine that Mohawk Solar is entitled to lightened regulation as a wholesale electric generator and is ready and able to begin project construction. This proceeding will not revisit the public need and environmental compatibility issues that were previously considered and decided by the Siting Board.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that public statement hearings will be held virtually before the assigned Administrative Law Judge, as follows:

Those wishing to comment on any aspect of this proceeding will have the opportunity to make a statement on the record at the virtual public statement hearings. Any person wishing to provide a public statement must register in advance of the hearing.

To register electronically: Participants who would like to provide a statement and will login to a hearing electronically may register to do so by visiting www.webex.com by 5:00 P.M. on January 20, 2021. From the Webex homepage, registrants should click “Join” at the top right-hand corner of the screen, enter the appropriate event number listed above, and provide all requested information.

On the appropriate date and time of the hearing, please visit www.webex.com to log in to the hearing, click “Join” at the top right-hand corner of the screen, and input the appropriate event number for the hearing. Participants will be asked to “select audio system.” It is recommended that participants opt to have the system “call me” or “call using computer.” The “call me” option will require participants to enter their phone numbers.

To register by phone: Any participant who is not able to login to a hearing electronically may participate by phone. Call-in participants wishing to provide a statement must register to do so by calling 1-800-342-3330 by 5:00 P.M. on January 20, 2021, where they should follow prompts to the appropriate hearing and provide the following information: first and last name, address, and phone number.

On the appropriate date and time of a hearing, all call-in users should dial (518) 549-0500 and enter the relevant access code listed above.

All participants will be muted upon entry into the hearing. The Examiner will call on each person who has asked to make a statement. Each public statement hearing will be held open until everyone who has registered to speak has been heard or other reasonable arrangements to submit comments into the record have been made. Time limits may be set for each speaker as necessary. It is recommended that lengthy comments be submitted in writing and summarized for oral presentation. A verbatim transcript of the hearing will be made for inclusion in the record of this case.

To listen to the hearing: Any person who would like to listen to the hearing without making a statement can access the hearing without pre-registering. The hearings will be livestreamed on the internet and available for viewing on the Department of Public Service YouTube channel on the date and times listed above. To access that YouTube channel, visit the Department’s website, www.dps.ny.gov, and click on the YouTube icon at the bottom of the homepage. In addition, any person without internet access may listen to the hearings by phone by calling (518) 549-0500 and entering the applicable access code.

Persons with disabilities requiring special accommodations should call the Department of Public Service’s Human Resources Management Office at (518) 474-2520 as soon as possible. TDD users may request a sign language interpreter by placing a call through the New York Relay Service at 711. Individuals with difficulty understanding or reading English are encouraged to call the Department at 1-800-342-3377 for free language assistance services regarding this notice.

Other Ways to Comment

Those who prefer not to present comments at a public statement hearing may provide comments in several other ways.

Internet or Mail: Go to www.dps.ny.gov, then click on “Search” and enter the case number in the “Search by Case Number” field, and then click on “Post Comments” at the top right of the page; or send comments by email to the Secretary to the Commission at secretary@dps.ny.gov.

Alternatively, comments may be mailed to the Hon. Michelle L. Phillips, Secretary, Public Service Commission, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York 12223-1350. All written comments will become part of the record considered by the Commission and may be accessed on the Department of Public Service website by searching the case number, as described above, and clicking on the “Public Comments” tab.

Toll-Free Opinion Line: You may call the Commission’s Opinion Line at 1-800-335-2120. This number is set up to take comments about pending cases from in-State callers, 24-hours a day. These comments are not transcribed verbatim, but a summary is provided to the Commission.

All submitted comments should refer to “Case 20-E-0481.” Although comments will be accepted throughout the pendency of this case, comments are requested by February 17, 2021.