ALBANY — The New York State Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment (Siting Board) today announced it would hold public statement hearings in the City of Hornell, to receive comments on Baron Winds LLC proposal to build a 300-megawatt (MW) wind power project in the Towns of Cohocoton, Dansville, Fremont and Wyland, in Steuben County, New York.

Baron Winds LLC (Baron), a subsidiary of Innogy Renewables US LLC, filed an application on November 29, 2017, seeking authority to build and operate a 300-megawatt (MW) wind power project, including the installation and operation of up to 76 wind turbines with associated electrical collection lines, access roads, meteorological towers, an operation and maintenance building, and a collection substation. The project would interconnect to the state’s electrical grid along the New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) 230 kilovolt (kV) transmission line in the Town of Cohocton.

On August 29, 2018, the Chair of the Siting Board determined that Baron’s application complied with the Siting Board's filing requirements. Generally, all proceedings on the application, including a final decision by the Siting Board, must be completed within 12 months after the date of that determination.

Opportunities for public information and comment will be held, as follows:

Thursday, October 11, 2018

Hornell City Hall Courtroom
82 Main Street
Hornell, NY 14843

2 P.M. and 6 P.M. – Informational Forums
3 P.M. and 7 P.M. – Public Statement Hearings

At the informational forums, the examiners, Administrative Law Judges Anthony Belsito and James Costello of the Department of Public Service and Administrative Law Judge Maria Villa of the Department of Environmental Conservation, will provide an overview of the Siting Board's certification process. Baron will present a brief summary of the proposed project and will have maps of the proposed project area available for viewing. Members of the public will then have an opportunity to pose questions about the process and the certificate application pending before the Siting Board.

At the public statement hearings, any person wishing to provide a public statement must complete a request card, and the examiners will use the request cards to call each person who has asked to speak. The hearings will remain open for a minimum of one hour and will continue until everyone wishing to speak has been heard or until other reasonable arrangements have been made. It is not necessary to make an appointment in advance or to present written material in order to speak at the hearing. Reasonable time limits may be set for each speaker as necessary to afford all attendees an opportunity to be heard. Lengthy comments should be submitted in writing and only summarized for oral presentation. A verbatim transcript of the 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 press release.

The application may be reviewed online at the Siting Board web page (http://www.dps.gov/SitingBoard, by following the link to “Projects Under Review,” on the left side of the page. It may also be accessed by visiting the Department of Public Service website, www.dps.ny.gov, then clicking the “Search” link on the upper center area of the page, then using the “Search by Case Number” feature, to search for case “15-F-0122.” The application materials may be located under the tab “Filed Documents.” 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 15-F-0122, Baron Winds LLC.” Although comments will be accepted throughout the pendency of this proceeding, they are requested by December 5, 2018.

Via the Internet or Mail: The public may enter comments directly into the case file from the Department of Public Service website, www.dps.ny.gov, by clicking on "Search" at the top of the page and then entering “15-F-0122” into the “Search by Case Number” field. In the open case, access the screen to enter comments by clicking on the "Post Comments" box at the top right of the page. Comments may also be submitted electronically to the Hon. Kathleen H. Burgess, Secretary, at secretary@dps.ny.gov, or by mail or delivery to Secretary Burgess 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 can be read on the 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.