ALBANY — The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) today announced it will hold a public statement hearing regarding a joint proposal submitted by Suez Water New York Inc. (SWNY) and the New York State Department of Public Service staff, and filed with the Commission on September 2, 2016. Along with various other changes to the terms and conditions of SWNY’s provision of water service, the proposal outlines an increase in rates for water service provided by SWNY for three years, beginning February 1, 2017.

 The proposal, and all filings in associated with this rate case, are available on the Department’s Web site (see below). The Commission may adopt, reject or modify of the terms of the proposal. The Commission also may adopt terms other than those proposed. Members of the public wishing to comment on the proposal will have an opportunity to make a statement on the record at the hearing. The hearing will be held as follows:

Thursday, September 29, 2016
Legislative Chambers
Rockland County Office Building
11 New Hempstead Road New City, New York 10956
Public Statement Hearing begins at 6:00 PM

It is not necessary to make an appointment in advance, or to present written material to speak at the hearing. Persons will be called to speak after completing a request card. The hearing will be held open for a minimum of one hour, and will be kept open until everyone wishing to speak has been heard or other reasonable arrangements have been made to include their comments in the record.

Disabled persons 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 Commission 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 hearing, there are several other ways to send comments to the Commission regarding this proposal. Comments should refer to "Case 16-W-0130 – Suez Water NY – Water Rates."

Internet or Mail: Go to the Web site (www.dps.ny.gov), click on "Search," enter the case number (16-W-0130), and then click on "Post Comments" at the top of the page. Alternatively, comments may be e-mailed to the Secretary to the Commission at secretary@dps.ny.gov or mailed or delivered to Hon. Kathleen H. Burgess, Secretary, Public Service Commission, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York 12223-1350. All written comments will become part of the record in this proceeding and will be reported to the Commission for its consideration. All written comments may be accessed on the Commission's Web site. Many libraries offer free Internet access.

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.

Comments submitted via these alternate means are requested by December 9, 2016.