Virtual Public Statement Hearing Set Regarding Steuben County Wind Farm

ALBANY — The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) will hold a virtual public statement hearing on Wednesday, December 8, 2021, to receive public comments concerning a petition filed by Eight Point Wind, LLC (Eight Point) on March 11, 2021, seeking a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) from the Commission.

On August 20, 2019, the New York State Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment granted a certificate to Eight Point to construct, own, and operate a 101.8-megawatt wind farm in the Towns of Greenwood and West Union in Steuben County.

Prior to beginning construction of the wind farm, Eight Point must obtain a CPCN, which would ensure that Eight Point is properly registered to do business in New York State, that it has received the consent of appropriate municipalities to proceed with the project, and that it is financially capable of doing so.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that comments are sought on the petition filed by Eight Point. The Commission’s review of this petition is narrow and focuses on Eight Point’s readiness to begin project construction. As a result, this proceeding will not duplicate the public need and environmental compatibility issues that were previously considered in other proceedings.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that a virtual public statement hearing will be held virtually before the assigned Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) on:

DATE: Wednesday, December 8, 2021

TIME: 1:00 P.M.

Electronic Access: www.webex.com

Event Number: 2339 292 9617

Password: Dec8-1pm

Phone-Only Access: (518) 549-0500

Access Code: 2339 292 9617

Any person wishing to provide a public statement must pre-register to do so by 3:00 P.M. on Tuesday, December 7, 2021.

To register electronically: Participants who would like to provide a statement and will log in to the hearing electronically may register to do so by visiting www.webex.com by the deadline referenced above. From the Webex homepage, registrants 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 to the hearing on the appropriate date and time, please visit www.webex.com, click “Join” at the top right-hand corner of the screen, and input the event number for the 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 participants to enter their phone numbers.

To register by phone: Any participant who is not able to log in to the hearing electronically may participate by phone. Call-in participants wishing to provide a statement must register to do so by calling 1-800-342-3330 by the deadline referenced above, 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, all call-in users should dial (518) 549-0500 and enter the access code listed above.

All participants will be muted upon entry into the hearing. The ALJ will call on each person who has requested to provide a statement to speak. The public statement hearing 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 recommended that lengthy comments be submitted in writing and 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 reasonable 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 hearing, there are several other ways to provide comments. Comments should refer to Case “21-E-0160.”

Internet or Mail: Go to www.dps.ny.gov, click on “Search” and enter “21-E-0160” in the “Search by Case Number” field, then click on “Post Comments” at the top right of the page; or send comments by email to the Secretary to the Commission at secretary@dps.ny.gov.

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: Individuals may choose to submit comments by calling 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.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that a procedural conference will be held immediately following the public statement hearing, as part of the same teleconference. The principal purposes of the procedural conference are to identify any potential parties and provide interested persons an opportunity to present and explain any proposals regarding the procedures they believe should be followed in this case by the ALJ and Commission including, but not limited to, whether any issues of fact presented by the petition or public comments warrant an evidentiary hearing. Other procedural issues may also be addressed.

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