ALBANY — The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) today announced it was seeking public comment on a request by Rochester Gas and Electric Corporation (RG&E) to construct a natural gas steel distribution main. The Certified Main 6 pipeline project will replace approximately 8.22 miles of existing 22.5-inch natural gas steel distribution main with a 24-inch steel pipeline, and will run generally northeast from Wheatland Center Road in the Town of Caledonia, Livingston County, to 16 Humphrey Road in the Town of Chili, Monroe County. The project will replace a portion of RG&E’s existing Certified Main-1 pipeline, which was installed in 1950, and will operate at a maximum allowable operating pressure of 330 PSIG. The project will include related equipment, such as valves, and above-ground facilities for pressure regulation, pipeline inspections, maintenance, testing, and similar functions. An above-ground pipeline bridge is proposed to span the Oatka Creek in the Town of Wheatland.

Under New York State Law, the Commission may adopt or reject RG&E’s proposal, in whole or in part, or modify it. In doing so, the Commission will consider input from the participating parties and the general public.

Information Sessions and Public Statement Hearings

During the scheduled information sessions, representatives of RG&E will provide a brief overview of the project, and Department of Public Service Staff will describe generally the Article VII review process. These presentations will be followed by an opportunity for questions and answers. Each information session will conclude at least five minutes before the public statement hearing is scheduled to commence. The opportunities for public information and comment will be provided as follows:

Wednesday, August 22, 2018
Town Hall, Town of Chili
3333 Chili Avenue
Rochester, NY 14624

Information Session:                                2:00 p.m.
Public Statement Hearing:                      3:00 p.m.

Information Session:                                6:00 p.m.
Public Statement Hearing:                      7:00 p.m.

At the public statement hearings, interested members of the public may provide their views before an Administrative Law Judge. A verbatim transcript of the hearings will be made for inclusion in the record of the proceeding. It is not necessary to make an appointment in advance in order to speak. Persons will be called to speak after completing a participation card. Speakers need not provide written copies of their comments. The hearings will be kept open for at least one hour and will continue until everyone wishing to speak has been heard or other reasonable arrangements have been made to include their comments in the record.

Persons with disabilities requiring special accommodations should contact the Department of Public Service's Human Resource 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 to reach the Department of Public Service's Human Resource Office. 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 press release.

RG&E’s application to the Commission may be viewed online at the website maintained by the New York State Department of Public Service at www.dps.ny.gov. From the homepage, click on “Search,” and enter the case number “18-T-0388” in the “Search by Case Number” field. Copies of the application are also available at the Chili Public Library, 3333 Chili Ave., Rochester, NY 14624, the Caledonia Library, 3108 Main Street, Caledonia, NY 14423, and the Scottsville Free Library, 28 Main Street, Scottsville, NY 14546.

Other Ways to Comment

For those who cannot attend or prefer not to speak at the hearings, comments may be submitted to the Commission by using any of the following methods. Comments should refer to “Case -18-T-0388 – CM-6 Pipeline Project.”   

Commission Website: Comments may be entered directly into the case file via the Commission’s website, which can be found at www.dps.ny.gov. At the home page, click on “Search” and enter the case number “18-T-0388”. This will bring you to the web page maintained for this individual case. To offer your comments click on the “Post Comments” button at the top of the page and input your comments using the form provided.

E-mail or Mail: Comments may also be sent via e-mail to Hon. Kathleen H. Burgess, Secretary, at secretary@dps.ny.gov, or by mail or delivery to Hon. Kathleen H. Burgess, Secretary, Public Service Commission, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany NY 12223-1350.

Toll-Free Opinion Line: Individuals may submit comments using 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. Telephonic comments are not transcribed verbatim, but a summary is provided to the Administrative Law Judge who will report to the Commission.

Written comments received by the Department will become part of the record considered by the Commission. All written comments may be accessed on the Commission's website at www.dps.ny.gov. Click the “Search” button on the home page and then enter “18-T-0388” in the space provided for searching by case number; then view the “Public Comments” tab.

Comments provided via these alternative methods are requested by October 15, 2018.