ALBANY — The New York State Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment (Siting Board) announced that it will hold two virtual information sessions and public statement hearings on Wednesday, October 21, 2020, related to High River Energy Center, LLC’s (High River) proposal to construct a major solar energy generating facility of up to 90 megawatts (MW) in the Town of Florida, Montgomery County. The project would consist of commercial-scale solar arrays, access roads, inverters, fencing, buried electric collection lines, and electrical interconnection facilities. The project would also include a collection substation and interconnection facilities, including a 115 kilovolt (kV) switchyard, and would interconnect to the electric system at National Grid’s existing Stoner-Rotterdam #12 transmission line through a proposed 500-foot 115 kV transmission line.

Documents pertaining to this proceeding may be reviewed online at the Department of Public Service web page, www.dps.ny.gov, by searching under Case 17-F-0597.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that virtual information sessions and public statement hearings on this case will be held before the examiners at the date and times stated below. Information sessions will be held first and the public statement hearings will immediately follow. At the information sessions, representatives of High River will provide a brief overview of the company’s proposal, and the examiners, will provide a brief overview of the Public Service Law Article 10 siting review process.

Those wishing to comment on any aspect of this proceeding will have the opportunity to make a statement on the record at the virtual public statement hearings. Any person wishing to provide a public statement must pre-register in advance by the deadline specified.

To pre-register via the internet: Visit www.webex.com by no later than 5:00 P.M. on Monday, October 19, 2020. From the Webex homepage, click “Join” at the top right-hand corner of the screen, enter the appropriate event number listed above, and provide all requested information.

To attend the event on the appropriate date and time, visit www.webex.com, click “Join” at the top right corner of the screen, and input the appropriate event number for the hearing. Participants will be asked to “select audio system.” Please select “call me” or “call using computer.” If you select “call me,” you must then enter your phone number.

To pre-register by phone: If unable to pre-register via the internet, persons may pre-register by phone. Call 1-800-342-3330 by no later than 5:00 P.M. on Monday, October 19, 2020, and follow the prompts to the appropriate hearing. You will be required to provide your first and last name, address, and phone number.

To attend the event, you must call-in at the appropriate date and time by dialing 518-549-0500 and entering the appropriate access code identified above.

All participants will be muted upon entry into the hearing. The Examiners will call on each person who has pre-registered to provide a statement. Each public statement hearing will be held open until everyone who has pre-registered has been heard or other reasonable arrangements to submit comments have been made. Time limits may be set for each speaker as necessary. Lengthy comments should be submitted in writing and summarized for oral presentation. A verbatim transcript of the hearing will be made for the record in this case.

To listen to the hearing: Any person may attend the virtual hearing without pre-registering. The hearings will be livestreamed on the internet and available for viewing on the Department of Public Service YouTube channel on the dates and times listed above. For access, visit www.dps.ny.gov and click on the YouTube icon at the bottom of the homepage. Any person without internet access may listen by phone by calling 518-549-0500 and entering the applicable access code. Persons with disabilities requiring special accommodations should call the Department of Public Service 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

Persons who cannot or prefer not to comment at a public statement hearing may submit comments in the following ways:

Internet or Mail: Go to www.dps.ny.gov, then click on “Search” and enter the case number “17-F-0597” 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 Siting Board at secretary@dps.ny.gov.

Alternatively, comments may be mailed to Hon. Michelle L. Phillips, Secretary, 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 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 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 Siting Board by the Examiners.

All comments in this case should reference Case 17-F-0597. Although comments will be accepted throughout the pendency of this proceeding, they are requested by Friday, November 6, 2020.