VIRTUAL PUBLIC STATEMENT HEARING SCHEDULED REGARDING PROPOSED ENERGY STORAGE FACILITY

ALBANY — The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) announced that it will hold a virtual public statement hearing on Tuesday, April 27, 2021, concerning a petition filed by East River ESS, LLC on February 19, 2021, seeking a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) from the Commission pursuant to Section 68 of the Public Service Law.

East River is proposing to develop a stand-alone, battery-based, energy storage facility with a capacity of up to approximately 100 megawatts on land leased from the Power Authority of the State of New York in Astoria, Queens. In the petition, East River requests that the Commission issue an expedited order granting a CPCN pursuant to PSL §68; and finding that East River is entitled to a lightened regulatory regime as a wholesale electric market participant.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a virtual public statement hearing will be held before Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Michael Clarke, as follows:

DATE: Tuesday, April 27, 2021

TIME: 1:00 P.M.

Electronic Access: www.webex.com

Event Number: 129 839 4295

Password: April27-1pm

Phone-Only Access: (518) 549-0500

Access Code: 129 839 4295

Any person wishing to provide a public statement on the record at the hearing must pre-register to do so by 3:00 P.M. on Monday, April 26, 2021.

To register electronically: Participants who would like to provide a statement and will log in to the hearing electronically may register to do so by visiting www.webex.com, where they should click “Join” at the top right-hand corner of the screen, enter the event number listed above and provide all requested information.

When logging in to the hearing on the appropriate date and time, 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 that participants enter their phone numbers.

To register 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 in advance by calling 1-800-342-3330, by the date and time noted above, where they should follow prompts to the appropriate hearing and provide the following information: first and last name, address, and phone number.

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

The 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 also recommended that lengthy comments be submitted in writing and summarized for oral presentation. A verbatim transcript of the public statement hearing 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 hearing, there are several other ways to provide your comments. Comments should refer to Case “21-E-0122.”

Internet or Mail: Go to www.dps.ny.gov, then click on “Search” and enter the case number, “21-E-0122,” 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.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that a procedural conference will be held immediately following the Public Statement Hearing, as part of the same teleconference.

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.

###

This is a message from NYS