 |
||
|
For Immediate Release: 5/4/2023 Rory M. Christian, Chair Contact:
James Denn | James.Denn@dps.ny.gov | (518) 474-7080
23048 / 23-G-0141 May 04, 2023
|
||
Virtual Public Statement Hearing Set Regarding Application to Renew Town of Fowler Gas Franchise |
||
ALBANY — The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) will hold a virtual public statement hearing on Thursday, May 11, 2023, regarding Liberty Utilities (St. Lawrence Gas) Corporation’s application to renew its gas franchise with the Town of Fowler, St. Lawrence County. On March 15, 2023, St. Lawrence Gas filed a petition seeking an order granting the company a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) to exercise a renewed gas franchise with the Town of Fowler. The company entered into a renewed gas franchise agreement with the Town on December 12, 2022, which allows it to continue to provide gas service to businesses and residential customers in the town.
The company’s petition may be viewed online at the Department of Public Service’s web page, www.dps.ny.gov, by searching under Case 23-G-0141.
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a virtual public statement hearing will be held before Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Lindsey Overton as follows:
Any person wishing to provide a public statement on the record at the hearing must register to do so by 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 10, 2023.
To register and provide a statement electronically:
Participants who would like to provide a statement and will log in to the hearing electronically must register by the date and time indicated above, by visiting www.webex.com. From the Webex homepage, registrants should click “Join a Meeting” at the top right-hand corner of the screen, enter the event number listed above, click “Register” (it is not necessary to add the webinar password for the registration), and provide all requested information.
When logging in on the date and time of the hearing, participants should visit www.webex.com, click “Join a Meeting” at the top right-hand corner of the screen, and input the appropriate meeting number and password 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 and provide a statement by phone: Any participant who is not able to log in to the hearing electronically may participate by phone. Call-in participants wishing to provide a statement must register to do so by the date and time indicated above by calling 1-800-342-3330, where they should follow prompts to the appropriate hearing and provide the following information: first name and last name, address, and phone number.
On the date and time of the hearing, all call-in participants should dial 518-549-0500 and enter the access code listed above to join the hearing.
All participants will be muted upon entry into the hearing. The ALJ will call on each person who has registered to speak. The ALJ will continue the hearing until everyone wishing to speak has been heard or other reasonable arrangements have been made to include their comments in the record. Time limits may be set for each speaker as necessary to afford all attendees an opportunity to be heard. 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 but does not intend to make a statement may access the hearing without registering.
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
For those who cannot attend or prefer not to speak at the public statement hearing, there are several other ways to provide your comments. Comments should refer to “Case 23-G-0141.” Although comments will be accepted throughout the course of this proceeding, they are requested by May 18, 2023.
Internet or Mail: Go to www.dps.ny.gov, click on “File Search” (located under the “Commission Files” heading), enter “23-G-0141” in the “Search by Case Number” field, and then click on “Post Comments” at the top of the page.
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.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that a procedural conference will be held immediately following the public statement hearing on May 11, 2023. The principal purposes of the procedural conference are to identify any potential parties and provide interested persons an opportunity to present and explain any proposals regarding the procedures they believe should be followed in this case by the ALJ and Commission including, but not limited to, whether any issues of fact presented by the petition or public comments warrant an evidentiary hearing. Other procedural issues also may be addressed.
Access information for the procedural conference is as stated above. The public statement hearing and procedural conference will be conducted as parts of the same WebEx and conference call.
|
||
|
###
|
||