ALBANY —The New York State Department of Public Service announced the Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission (ORES) will hold an in-person public comment hearing on Thursday, February 20, 2025, at the Groton High School Gymnasium in Groton, Tompkins County, to receive comments on the application and draft permit for Yellow Barn Solar, a proposed 160MW solar farm in the Towns of Groton and Lansing, Tompkins County.

The applicant filed an application with ORES on November 3, 2023, and a notice of complete application was issued on October 15, 2024, with draft permit conditions published by ORES on December 16, 2024 (see https://dps.ny.gov/ores-permit-applications, click on Project Permit Application Number 23-02986).

All persons, organizations, corporations, or government agencies who may be affected by the facility are invited to attend the hearing and comment on the application and the draft permit conditions. Lengthy comments should be summarized and submitted in writing, with equal weight being given to both oral and written comments. To ensure that all interested persons have an opportunity to speak, the Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) may limit the time available for oral comments to three (3) minutes per person.

The public comment hearing will be transcribed for inclusion in the administrative record.

Persons with disabilities requiring special accommodations should call the Department of Public Service’s Human Resource 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 (800) 342-3377 for free language assistance services.

Written Comments

For those who cannot attend or prefer not to comment at the public statement hearing, there are alternate ways to provide comments.

Written comments may be emailed to ORES at ores.hearings@dps.ny.gov or mailed to the Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission, Empire State Plaza, P-1 South, J Dock, Albany, NY 12242. Written comments will be considered equally with all oral statements delivered at the public comment hearing, provided they are postmarked by Friday, February 21, 2025. Comments may also be posted on the ORES portal by 5:00 p.m. on that same date (see https://dps.ny.gov/ores-permit-applications, click on Project Permit Application Number 23-02986, click on “Public Comments” and then “Submit Comment”).

Document Availability

Copies of all application materials and draft permit conditions are available for inspection at the ORES Albany office during normal business hours: Contact the Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission, W.A. Harriman Campus, Building 9, 4th Floor, 1220 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12227, or (518) 473-4590 and ores.hearings@dps.ny.gov. Electronic copies are available at https://dps.ny.gov/ores-permit-applications; click on Project Permit Application Number 23-02986.

Copies of all application materials are also available at:

Groton Town Hall

ATTN: Robin Cargian, Town Clerk
Groton Town Hall
P.O. Box 36
Groton, NY 13073

Lansing Town Hall
ATTN: Debbie Munson, Town Clerk
P.O. Box 186
Lansing, NY 14882

Groton Public Library
ATTN: Sara Knobel, Director
112 East Cortland Street
Groton, NY 13073

Lansing Community Library
ATTN: Susie Gutenberger, Library Director
27 Auburn Road
Lansing, NY 14882