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For Immediate Release: 01/17/23 Rory M. Christian, Chair Contact:
James Denn | James.Denn@dps.ny.gov | (518) 474-7080
23004 / 22-T-0294 January 17, 2023
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Virtual Public Statement Hearings Set Regarding Offshore Wind Transmission Line |
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ALBANY — The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) will hold two virtual public statement hearings on Tuesday, January 24, 2023, regarding Beacon Wind LLC’s (Beacon Wind) application to construct, operate and maintain transmission line that will connect the proposed Beacon Wind offshore wind farm to Astoria, Queens County. On May 13, 2022, Beacon Wind filed an application to construct, operate and maintain transmission facilities from the boundary of New York State waters to a point of interconnection in Astoria, Queens County. In order to construct the project, Beacon Wind must first obtain a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need from the Commission, pursuant to Article VII of the Public Service Law. Beacon Wind’s proposed project includes one 320-kilovolt high voltage direct current submarine export cable circuit located within an approximately 115 nautical miles-long submarine export cable corridor from the boundary of New York State waters to the cable landfall at the Astoria power complex. The project would also include one 2,000 feet-long onshore cable route and substation facility within the Astoria power complex.
Under New York State Law, the Commission may adopt or reject Beacon Wind’s proposal, in whole or part, or modify it. In doing so, the Commission will consider input from the participating parties and the general public. Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) are presiding over the gathering of public comments and all evidence related to the project. As indicated in the December 19, 2022 notice, public statement hearings will be held to obtain comments from the public concerning Beacon Wind’s proposal.
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that virtual public statement hearings will be held before ALJs Dakin Lecakes and Lindsey Overton as follows:
Any person wishing to provide a public statement on the record at the hearings must pre-register to do so by 3:00 p.m. on Monday, January 23, 2023.
To pre-register and provide a statement electronically: Participants who would like to provide a statement and will log in to a hearing electronically must pre-register by the date and time indicated above, 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 on the date and time of a hearing, 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 pre-register and provide a statement by phone: Any participant who is not able to log in to a hearing electronically may participate by phone. Call-in participants wishing to provide a statement must pre-register by the date and time indicated above by calling 1-800-342-3330, 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, call-in participants should dial 518-549-0500 and enter the access code listed above.
The public statement hearings 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 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. Comments should refer to Case “22-T-0294.” Although comments will be accepted throughout the course of this proceeding, they are requested on or before February 17, 2023.
Internet or Mail: Go to www.dps.ny.gov, click on “Search,” enter “22-T-0294” in the “Search by Case Number” field, and then click on “Post Comments” at the top of the page.
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.
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