The New York State Department of Public Service has announced the Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission (ORES) will hold in-person and virtual public comment hearings to receive comments on the proposed rules and regulations for the environmental review, permitting, and siting of major renewable energy facilities and major electric transmission facilities under the Renewable Action through Project Interconnection and Deployment (RAPID) Act.

New York State recently enacted the RAPID Act, which consolidates the environmental review, permitting, and siting of major renewable energy facilities and major electric transmission facilities under the purview of ORES. Among other things, the RAPID Act authorizes ORES, in consultation with the Department of Public Service and subject to approval by the Public Service Commission, to promulgate rules and regulations to implement the new siting permit program for major electric transmission facilities established by the RAPID Act.

All interested persons, organizations, corporations, or government agencies are invited to attend the hearings and comment on the proposed regulations and the draft generic environmental impact statement prepared for the rulemaking. Lengthy comments should be summarized and 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.

In-person public comments hearings on the proposed rulemaking will be held on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, at 1 pm and 5:00 pm the Arnett Community Library, 310 Arnett Boulevard, Rochester, NY 14619.

To learn about the locations of more hearings on this topic please visit:

Public Comment Hearings Set Regarding Renewable Action Through Project Interconnection and Deployment (RAPID) Act | Department of Public Service