Virtual Public Statement Hearing Set Regarding Renewable Natural Gas Project in Cayuga County

ALBANY — The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) will hold a virtual public statement hearing on Wednesday, February 2, 2022, to receive public comments concerning a petition filed by Bluebird Renewable Energy, LLC (Bluebird) on November 24, 2021, seeking a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) and lightened regulation from the Commission to construct, own, and operate a renewable natural gas project in Cayuga County.

The proposed project will consist of facilities for the processing and transportation of biogas from anaerobic digesters located at the Aurora Ridge Dairy and Sunnyside Farm to a processing facility located at the Sunnyside Farm. The processed gas will be compressed for loading into United States Department of Transportation-approved carbon fiber tube trailers and trucked to a receipt point where it will be injected into an interstate pipeline, which Bluebird currently anticipates will be the Corning Natural Gas Corporation system near Caton, Cayuga County. The project will include the construction of two pipelines. One pipeline, approximately 5.5 miles in length, will run from the anaerobic digester at the Aurora Ridge Dairy to the Sunnyside Farm processing facility and cross publicly owned rights-of-way in the Towns of Ledyard and Venice in Cayuga County. The second pipeline, approximately 1500 feet in length, will transport raw biogas from the Sunnyside Farm’s digester to the processing facility. The processing facility will consist of systems that will purify, compress, meter, and ensure the quality of the processed gas.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a public statement hearing will be held virtually before Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) James A. Costello, as follows:

DATE: Wednesday, February 2, 2022

TIME: 4:00 P.M.

Electronic Access: www.webex.com

Event Number: 2343 110 5660

Password: Feb2-4pm

Phone-Only Access: (518) 549-0500

Access Code: 2343 110 5660

Those wishing to comment on any aspect of this proceeding will have the opportunity to make a statement on the record at the virtual public statement hearing. Any person wishing to provide a public statement must pre-register in advance of the hearing.

To pre-register electronically: Participants who would like to provide a statement and will log in to the hearing electronically must register to do so by visiting www.webex.com by 3:00 p.m. on February 1, 2022. From the Webex homepage, registrants should click “Join” at the top right-hand corner of the screen, enter the appropriate event number listed above, and provide all requested information.

When logging in to participate in the hearing, participants should visit www.webex.com, click “Join” at the top right-hand corner of the screen, and input the event number for the hearing. You may need to “refresh” the webex home page if the “Join” button does not at first appear. 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 pre-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 3:00 p.m. on February 1, 2022, 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 a 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 asked to make a statement. 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.

To listen to the hearing: Pre-registration is not required for any person who would like to listen to the hearing without making a statement. The hearing will be livestreamed on the internet and available for viewing on the Department of Public Service YouTube channel on the date and time listed above. To access that 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 (518) 549-0500 and entering the access code.

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

Those who prefer not to present comments at the public statement hearing may provide comments in several other ways. All submitted comments should refer to “Case 21-G-0576.” Although comments will be accepted throughout the pendency of this proceeding, they are requested by February 11, 2022.

Internet or Mail: Go to www.dps.ny.gov, click on “Search,” search using “21-G-0576” in the “Search by Case Number” field, and 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.

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