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For Immediate Release: September 22, 2020 John B. Rhodes, Chair
Contact: James Denn | James.Denn@dps.ny.gov | (518) 474-7080
20079 / 17-F-0619
September 22, 2020
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Virtual Public Statement Hearings to be Held on Hecate Greene’s Application to Construct Solar Farm |
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ALBANY — The New York State Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment (Siting Board) announced that it will hold two virtual Public Statement Hearings related to the application of Hecate Energy Greene 1 LLC, Hecate Energy Greene 2 LLC, and Hecate Energy Greene County 3 LLC (collectively, Hecate Greene), wholly owned subsidiaries of Hecate Energy New York LLC and Hecate Energy NAF LLC, to build and operate a 50-megawatt solar farm, to be located in the Town of Coxsackie, Greene County, that is pending before the Siting Board.
On December 27, 2019, Hecate Greene filed with the Siting Board an application seeking authority to build and operate a 50-megawatt photovoltaic (PV) solar electric generating facility (the Facility) in the Town of Coxsackie on approximately 827 acres of primarily agricultural land that would be leased from private landowners. The Facility would consist of solar PV generating panels connected by underground collection lines that will supply electricity to the bulk electric transmission system owned by Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation (Central Hudson). The Facility would interconnect with the existing Coxsackie-North Catskill 69 kilovolt transmission line and would require the construction of inverters, a medium voltage collection system, substations, generation tie lines, access roads, and fencing. Hecate Greene supplemented its application on March 20, May 8, and July 28, 2020.
On September 2, 2020, the Chair of the Siting Board determined that Hecate Greene’s application complies with the Siting Board's filing requirements.
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that virtual public statement hearings will be held before the Presiding Examiners, James A. Costello and Ashley Moreno of the Department of Public Service and Associate Examiner, Molly T. McBride of the Department of Environmental Conservation, 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 will login electronically to the hearing may register to do so by 4:30 P.M. Monday, September 28, 2020. Registrants should go to www.webex.com and click “Join” at the top right-hand corner of the screen, and input the appropriate event number listed above and provide all requested information.
On the appropriate date and time of the hearing, participants should visit www.webex.com, 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 choose to have the system “call me” or “call using computer.” The “call me” option will require participants to enter their phone numbers. It is recommended that participants login a few minutes before the forum begins.
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 make a statement at the hearing must register to do so by 4:30 P.M. Monday, September 28, 2020, by calling 1-800-342-3330, where they should follow prompts to the appropriate hearing and provide the following information: first and last name, address, and phone number.
On the day and time of the hearing, use the phone access phone number, (518) 549-0500, and the appropriate access code listed above to join the hearing.
All participants will be muted upon entry into the hearing. The Examiners will call each person who has registered to speak. The Examiners 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. Reasonable 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 each 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 would not like to make a statement may access the hearing without registering. The hearings will be livestreamed on the internet and available for viewing on the Department of Public Service’s YouTube channel on the dates and times listed above. To access the 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 the phone access number, (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.
The application may be reviewed online at the Department of Public Service website, www.dps.ny.gov. To access documents, go to “Search,” type the case number, “17-F-0619,” and click “Search by Case Number.” The application also is available for review at local public libraries in the project vicinity.
Other Ways to Comment
For those who cannot attend or prefer not to speak at a public statement hearing, there are several other ways to provide your comments to the Siting Board. Comments should refer to “Case 17-F-0619.” Although comments will be accepted throughout the pendency of this proceeding, they are requested by October 16, 2020.
Via the Internet or Mail: Please go to the Department of Public Service website, www.dps.ny.gov, click on “Search” at the top of the page, enter “17-F-0619” into the “Search by Case Number” field, then click on the “Post Comments” box at the top right of the page, or send comments by email to the Hon. Michelle L. Phillips, Secretary, at secretary@dps.ny.gov.
Alternatively, comments may be mailed to Secretary Phillips at the New York State Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York 12223-1350. All written comments will become part of the record considered by the Siting Board and may be accessed on the Department of Public Service website by searching by the case number, as described above, and clicking on the “Public Comments” tab.
Toll-Free Opinion Line: Individuals may choose to submit comments by calling the Department of Public Service’s Opinion Line at 1-800-335-2120. This line is set up to receive in-state calls 24-hours a day. These calls are not transcribed but a summary is provided to the presiding Examiners, who will report to the Siting Board.
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