Additional Virtual Public Comment Hearing Set Regarding Livingston County Solar Farm

ALBANY - The New York State Department of Public Service has announced the Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission (ORES) will hold an additional virtual public comment hearing on the application and draft permit for White Creek Solar, a proposed 135MW solar farm in the Towns of Leicester and York, Livingston County, on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. The hearing is being conducted through the Webex electronic webinar platform and by telephone. ORES held an in-person public comment hearing on Wednesday, November 13, 2024, at York Town Hall in York, Livingston County to receive comments on the project.

The applicant filed an application with ORES on December 7, 2023, and a notice of complete application was issued on July 15, 2024, with draft permit conditions published by ORES on September 13, 2024 (see https://dps.ny.gov/ores-permit-applications, click on Project Permit Application Number 23-00059).

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. Instructions on how to register for and attend the Webex webinar are provided below. Lengthy comments will not be accepted and instead should be submitted in writing. Equal weight will be 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 wishing to comment on the application or the draft permit conditions will have the opportunity to make a statement at the public comment hearing. Any person wishing to provide a public statement or observe online must register in advance of the hearing no later than 10:00 a.m., Monday, December 9, 2024. Persons who wish to dial-in to listen to the hearing may do so without pre-registration.

Instructions for Attending the Public Comment Hearing

To register online

Persons who will login to the hearing online must register by visiting:

https://meetny-gov.webex.com/weblink/register/r230e01ca701c879ee1dd87aa052b97fa.

Once there, click on "Register," and fill in the requested information. You will be asked whether you wish to make a public statement or not. After registration is complete, you will receive a confirmation by email with information about how to join the hearing.

To register by telephone

Any person who is not able to login electronically may participate by telephone. Call-in participants who wish to make a public comment must register in advance no later than 10:00 a.m. on Monday, December 9, 2024, by calling 1-518-473-4590 or by emailing [email protected]. Please provide your first and last name, address, email address if any, and telephone number, and reference the White Creek Solar public comment hearing.

To submit written comments

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

Written comments may be emailed to ORES at [email protected] 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, December 13, 2024. 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 23-00059, 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[email protected]. Electronic copies are available at https://dps.ny.gov/ores-permit-applications; click on Project Permit Application Number 23-00059.

Copies of all application materials are also available at:

Town of Leicester

Attn: Amy Neumann
Town Clerk
Leicester Town Hall
132 Main St.
Leicester, NY 14481-0197

Town of York

Attn: Christine Harris
Town Clerk
York Town Hall
2668 Main Street
York, NY 14592, and

Mount Morris Library

Attn: Fernanda Astiz
Director
121 Main Street
Mount Morris, NY 14510

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