ALBANY — The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) today announced it will hold an informational forum and public statement hearing regarding a request made by National Grid to construct and operate a proposed substation and associated line connections, and to construct an associated access road, on a parcel of land located west of Swede Road in the Town of Harmony in Chautauqua County.

National Grid previously requested and received approval to construct the existing 115 kilovolt (kV) Finley Road to Falconer Line (now known as the Dunkirk-Falconer Line 160 electric transmission line or Line 160). This current request is considered an amendment.

If the amendment request is approved, National Grid will construct a 115 kV/34.5 kV distribution substation, to be known as the West Ashville Substation, associated 115 kV lines and 34.5 kV facilities, and a crushed stone access road that will connect with Swede Road. Two 115 kV line connections, each about 700 feet long, will connect Line 160 to the West Ashville Substation. The proposed substation, approximately 225 feet by 163 feet (or 0.84 acre) in size, will be located on land known as the Patterson Parcel. A portion of the proposed 115 kV connecting lines will be located on National Grid’s existing fee-owned right-of-way for Line 160.

Public Statement Hearing

An opportunity for public information and comment regarding National Grid’s amendment request will be provided at the following time and place:

Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Panama Central School – Auditorium
41 North Street, Panama, New York 14767

6:00 PM Informational Forum
6:30 PM Public Statement Hearing

In the half-hour prior to the public statement hearing, maps will be available for review, New York State Department of Public Service (Department) Staff representatives will give a short presentation on the review process in this case, and National Grid representatives will be available to answer questions about the proposed substation and tap lines. The public is welcome to stop in at any time during the half hour when the informational forum is scheduled to review information and ask questions.

The informational forum will be followed by a public statement hearing where all those wishing to comment on the amendment request will have an opportunity to make a statement on the record before an Administrative Law Judge. It is not necessary to make an appointment in advance or to present written material to speak at the hearing. Persons will be called to speak after completing a request card. The public statement hearing will be held open until everyone wishing to speak has been heard or other reasonable arrangements have been made to include their comments in the record. A verbatim transcript of the hearing will be made for inclusion in the record of this proceeding.

Persons with disabilities requiring special accommodations should call the Department’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 Commission 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 a public statement hearing, there are several other ways to send comments to the Commission regarding this proposal. Comments should refer to “Case 16-T-0499 - National Grid - West Ashville Substation.”

Via the Internet or Mail: Go to www.dps.ny.gov, click on “Search,” enter the case number (16-T-0499), click on the “Post Comments” button at the top of the page, and complete the comment form. Alternatively, comments may be sent electronically to the Hon. Kathleen H. Burgess, Secretary to the Commission, at secretary@dps.ny.gov or by mail or delivery to Secretary Burgess at the New York State Public Service Commission, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York 12223- 1350.

Toll-Free Opinion Line: Individuals 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.

Comments submitted via these alternate means are requested by November 7, 2017. Comments will become part of the record considered by the Commission. National Grid’s application and all written comments may be read online by going to www.dps.ny.gov and then searching using the case number. Hard copies of National Grid’s application also may be viewed at public libraries in Jamestown, Chautauqua, Clymer, Falconer, Sherman, Westfield, and Ashville, New York.