November 17, 2020
New York

Online public hearings set for new state solar, wind power rules

Thomas J. Prohaska | The Buffalo News | Nov 16, 2020 | buffalonews.com

Online public hearings begin Tuesday on New York State’s new regulations governing applications for large-scale solar and wind power projects.

A state law passed earlier this year created a new agency, the Office of Renewable Energy Siting, to consider the applications. The law said that unless projects are acted upon by the agency sooner, they are approved automatically a year after a formal application is filed.

Public hearings scheduled for Tuesday in Buffalo and Wednesday in Rochester were moved online because of the “yellow zone” Covid-19 regulations. They may be accessed at ores.ny.gov/events. They will be held from 5 to 9 p.m., as will two further hearings Nov. 24 and 30.

The website also contains 143 pages of draft regulations for the contents of an application and the rules for construction and operation that solar and wind projects must comply with. The document says a developer need not obey local laws restricting such projects if the state agency deems them “unreasonably burdensome.”

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2020/11/17/online-public-hearings-set-for-new-state-solar-wind-power-rules/