Public Statement Hearings Set Regarding Baron Winds Project

242 MW Wind Farm to be Built in Towns of Cohocton, Fremont, and Wayland, in Steuben County

ALBANY — The New York State Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment (Siting Board) will hold in-person information sessions and public statement hearings on Wednesday, April 12, 2023, regarding Baron Winds LLC’s (Baron) petitions to amend and to transfer the operating certificate for the Phase II wind farm project in Steuben County.

On September 12, 2019, the Siting Board issued an order granting a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need to Baron to amend and to transfer to Baron Winds II the certificate issued to Baron by the Siting Board. The certificate authorized the construction and operation of a 242-megawatt wind farm located in the towns of Cohocton, Dansville, Fremont, and Wayland, in Steuben County. An amendment to the certificate was approved by the Siting Board on May 6, 2020, that addressed the portion of the project located in the Towns of Cohocton, Dansville and Wayland, known as Phase I.

On September 6, 2022, Baron filed its second petition to amend the certificate to construct and operate Phase II of the project. The amendment petition requested approval to revise the portion of the project located primarily in the Town of Fremont, with facility components in the Towns of Cohocton and Wayland. Specifically, Baron proposes that the Phase II project consists of 26 wind turbines of approximately 650 feet in height, additional collection lines, additional access roads, a newly proposed collection substation, point of interconnection facilities, construction/staging laydown yards, meteorological towers, and other facility infrastructure and components. On September 6, 2022, Baron also filed a petition to partially transfer the certificate to a newly created entity known as Baron Winds II.

The Siting Board may approve, in whole or in part, the relief requested in Baron’s amendment petition and its transfer petition or may modify or reject one or both petitions. In reaching its determination, the Siting Board will consider input from the public and participating parties. An Administrative Law Judge will preside over the public statement hearings and will oversee the collection of public comments related to Baron’s petitions to amend and to transfer the certificate for the Phase II Project.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that information sessions and public statement hearings will be held as follows:

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2023

TIME:

1:00 p.m. - Information Session

2:00 p.m. - Public Statement Hearing

6:00 p.m. Information Session

7:00 p.m. Public Statement Hearing

LOCATION:

Town of Fremont Town Hall

8217 Cream Hill Road

Arkport, New York 14807

Those persons wishing to comment on any aspect of this proceeding will have the opportunity to present a statement on the record at the public statement hearings by submitting a registration card available at the hearing. The public statement hearings will be held open until everyone who has registered to speak has been heard or other reasonable arrangements have been made to submit comments into the record. Reasonable time limits may be set for each speaker as necessary to afford all registered speakers with an opportunity to be heard. Lengthy comments should be submitted in writing and summarized for oral presentation at the hearings. A verbatim transcript of the public statement hearings will be made for inclusion in the record of this case.

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 hearings, there are several other ways to provide your comments to the Siting Board regarding the petitions. Comments should refer to “Case 15-F-0122.” Although comments will be accepted throughout the pendency of this proceeding, they are requested to be submitted by no later than June 30, 2023.

By Internet or Mail: Go to www.dps.ny.gov, click on “Commission Files” tab, go to “File Search,” and enter “15-F-0122” in the Search field, and then click on the “Post Comments” box located at the top of the page.

Alternatively, comments may be mailed to the Hon. Michelle L. Phillips, Secretary, New York State Board on Electric Generation and 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, as described above, and clicking on the “Public Comments” tab.

Toll-Free Opinion Line: You may call the Public Service 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 Siting Board. Please refer to “Case 15-F-0122” when submitting comments on the Opinion Line.

If you have difficulty understanding English, please call us at 1-800-342-3377 for free language assistance services regarding this press release.

###

This is a message from NYS