ALBANY — The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) will hold a virtual public statement hearing on Tuesday, December 1, 2020, to receive public comments on a petition filed by Champlain Hudson Power Express, Inc. (CHPE) and CHPE Properties, Inc. to amend a certificate of environmental compatibility and public need authorizing the applicants to build the Champlain Hudson Power Express project, a high-voltage, direct current transmission line extending approximately 330 miles from the New York/Canada border to a converter station in Astoria, Queens.

The certificate was granted in this proceeding by the Commission on April 18, 2013. The Commission granted amendments to the certificate, on March 20, 2020, September 21, 2020, and August 13, 2020, authorizing changes regarding project construction filings and filing requirements, and approving route modifications. In a petition filed Oct. 9, 2020, the applicants request that the certificate be amended to authorize two changes:

1. Modification of routing in Harlem River Yards. This routing change would authorize an expansion of the allowed deviation zone (ADZ) in New York City to allow installation of the Project cables to bypass the majority of the Harlem River Yard in the Bronx through installation of the cables across the Bronx Kill and underground in Randall’s Island Park, which is located directly across the Bronx Kill from the Harlem River Yard in Manhattan. This modification is requested due to engineering constraints and in order to minimize construction impacts to stakeholders due to land use changes since the facility location was certificated in 2013.
   
2. Augmentation of the deviation zone in Rockland County in Select Locations. This change would allow the expansion of the ADZ for Rockland County to include five splice locations on private land immediately adjacent to the revised right-of-way (ROW) within NYS Route 9W, rather than in the active Route 9W roadway ROW. This modification is requested in order to reduce the number of required splice locations and to minimize impacts along Route 9W arising from lane closures and resultant traffic impacts during construction. 

The applicants’ amended petition may be reviewed online at the Department of Public Service web page, www.dps.ny.gov, by searching under Case 10-T-0139.

Under New York State law, the Commission must consider this request and it may adopt or reject it, in whole or in part, or modify it. In doing so, the Commission will consider comments submitted by the general public. An Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) is presiding over the public statement hearing.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a virtual public statement hearing will be held before ALJ Dakin Lecakes, as follows:

Those wishing to comment on the petition will have the opportunity to make a statement on the record at the public statement hearing. Any person wishing to provide a public statement must register electronically or by telephone in advance of the hearing, no later than 4:30 P.M. Monday, November 30, 2020, for the hearing.

To register electronically: Participants who will login electronically to the hearing may register to do so by visiting www.webex.com by the date indicated above, clicking “Join” at the top right-hand corner of the screen, inputting the appropriate event number, listed above, and filling in the requested information. On the appropriate date and time of the hearing, participants should visit www.webex.com, click “Join” at the top right-hand corner of the screen, and input the appropriate event number for the hearing. Participants will be asked to “select audio system.” It is recommended that participants choose 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 telephone: Any participant who is not able to login to a hearing electronically may participate by phone. Call-in participants wishing to make a statement at the hearing must register to do so by the date indicated above by calling 1-800-342-3330, following the prompts to the appropriate hearing, and then providing the following information: first and last name, address, and phone number. On the day and time of the hearing, call-in users should dial 518-549-0500 and enter the appropriate access code, listed above, to join the hearing.

All participants will be muted upon entry into the hearing. The ALJ will call each person who has requested to provide a statement to speak. The ALJ will continue the hearing until everyone wishing to speak has been heard or other reasonable arrangements have been made to include their comments in the record. Reasonable time limits may be set for each speaker as necessary to afford all attendees an opportunity to be heard. 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. this case.

To listen to the hearing: Any person who would like to listen to the hearing and not make a statement may access the hearing without registering. The hearing will be livestreamed on the internet and available for viewing on the Department of Public Service’s YouTube channel on the date and time listed above. To access the YouTube channel, visit the Department’s website, www.dps.ny.gov, and click on the YouTube icon at the bottom of the homepage. In addition, any person without internet access may listen to the hearing by phone by calling the phone access number, 518-549-0500, and entering the applicable access code identified for the date of the hearing.

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 a public statement hearing, there are several other ways to provide your comments to the Commission. Comments should refer to “Case 10-T-0139 – CHPE.” Although comments will be accepted throughout the pendency of this proceeding, they are requested by December 1, 2020.

Via the Internet or Mail: Please go to www.dps.ny.gov, click on “Search,” enter “10-T-0139” in the “Search by Case Number” field, click on the “Post Comments” button located at the top of the page, and then complete the form to which you are directed; or email your comments to the Secretary to the Commission at secretary@dps.ny.gov.

Alternatively, comments may be mailed to the Hon. Michelle L. Phillips, Secretary, New York State 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 line is set up to receive in-state calls 24 hours a day. These calls are not transcribed verbatim, but a summary is provided to the Commission.