ALBANY — The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) will hold a virtual public statement hearing on Thursday, October 8, 2020, to receive public comments concerning the request by St. Lawrence Gas (St. Lawrence) to modify its existing Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN).

On February 18, 2011, the Commission issued an order granting the original CPCN to St. Lawrence. In April 2020, St. Lawrence and the Town of Malone, Franklin County, entered into an amended franchise agreement that updates the boundaries of the St. Lawrence distribution area within the town and allows the utility to provide service to businesses and residential customers surrounding US Route 11. St. Lawrence seeks to modify its CPCN, thereby making it consistent with the terms of the April 2020 amended franchise agreement.

Under New York State law, the Public Service Commission must consider a utility's proposal and may adopt or reject it, in whole or in part, or modify it. In doing so, the Commission will consider changes proposed by the participating parties and general public. An Administrative Law Judge will preside over the gathering of public comments and all evidence relating to the proposal.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a virtual public statement hearing on St. Lawrence’s request to modify its CPCN will be held before Administrative Law Judge Dakin Lecakes of the Department of Public Service as follows:

Any person wishing to provide a public statement on the record at the hearing must pre-register to do so by 5:00 P.M. on Tuesday, October 6, 2020.

To register electronically: Participants who would like to provide a statement and will login to a hearing electronically may register to do so by visiting www.webex.com, where they 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 on the appropriate date and time of the hearing, participants will be asked to “select audio system.” It is recommended that participants select the “call me” or “call using computer” option. The “call me” option requires participants to enter their phone numbers.

To register by phone: Any participant who is not able to log in to a hearing electronically may participate by phone. Call-in participants wishing to provide a statement must register to do so in advance by calling 1-800-342-3330, where they should follow prompts to the appropriate hearing and provide the following information: first and last name, address, and phone number.

On the appropriate date and time of the hearing, all call-in users should dial 518-549-0500 and enter the relevant access code listed above.

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 public statement hearing will be made for inclusion in the record of this case.

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. Comments should refer to Case “20-G-0378.”

Internet or Mail: Go to www.dps.ny.gov, click on “Search” and enter the case number, “20-G-0378” 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 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 receive in-state calls 24-hours a day. These calls are not transcribed verbatim, but a summary is provided to the Commission.