20015 / 19-E-0277

February 20, 2020

Baron Winds Project Public Statement Hearing Scheduled

242 MW Clean Energy Facility Proposed in Steuben County

ALBANY — The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) today announced it would hold a public statement hearing in the City of Hornell (Steuben County) to receive comments on Baron Winds LLC’s (Baron) request to construct and operate a wind farm in Steuben County.

Specifically, Baron is seeking a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) to construct a 242-megawatt (MW) wind power project in the Towns of Cohocton, Dansville, Fremont, and Wayland in Steuben County.

On September 12, 2019, in a separate proceeding, the New York State Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment (Siting Board) granted Baron approval to construct a commercial-scale wind power project in Steuben County. Consideration and approval by the Siting Board is not a determination whether the company can own or operate the proposed electric plant, whether the developer is properly registered to do business in New York State, or whether the Applicant has received all required consents for the use of any municipal property or public rights-of-way. Instead, those determinations that involve the readiness of Baron to commence construction are made by the Public Service Commission. The Commission’s review here is focused on whether the developer is ready and able to construct and operate the wind farm pursuant to the certificate issued by the Siting Board. This portion of the approval process is not an opportunity for parties to relitigate issues decided by the Siting Board.

Opportunities for public comment will be held, as follows:

Thursday, February 27, 2020 at 6:00 p.m.

Hornell City Hall Courtroom
82 Main Street
Hornell, NY 14843

At the public statement hearing, persons wishing to comment on Baron’s Section 68 Petition may make a statement on the record. Appointments to speak are not necessary; rather, attendees must complete a card requesting time to speak and people will be called in the order in which the cards are received. You need not provide written copies of comments because the public statement hearing will be transcribed, and the comments will be included in the record of this case. The public statement hearing will be held open for at least 30 minutes and, where practicable, will be kept open until everyone wishing to speak has been heard or other reasonable arrangements have been made.

Persons with disabilities requiring reasonable accommodations should contact 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 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 the public statement hearings, there are several other ways to provide your comments to the Commission. Comments should refer to “Case 19-E-0277 Baron Winds.” Although comments will be accepted throughout the pendency of this proceeding, they are requested by March 26, 2020.

Internet or Email: Go to www.dps.ny.gov, click on “Search,” search using case number “19-E-0277” and then click the “Post Comments” button at the top of the page; or email comments to the Secretary for the Commission at secretary@dps.ny.gov.

Alternatively, comments may be mailed or delivered to Hon. Michelle L. Phillips, Secretary, Public Service Commission, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York 12223-1350.

Toll-Free Opinion Line: You 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.

All written comments will become part of the record and will be considered by the Commission. All written comments may be accessed on the Department of Public Service website at www.dps.ny.gov. Click the “Search” button on the home page and then enter “19-E-0277” in the space provided for searching by case number, then view the “Public Comments” tab.

Baron’s petition to the Commission may be also viewed online at the Department of Public Service website at www.dps.ny.gov. Click the “Search” button on the home page and then enter “19-E-0277” in the space provided for searching by case number.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that, immediately following the Public Statement Hearing, a Procedural Conference will be held at the same location. 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 Administrative Law Judge 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 also may be addressed.

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