Siting Board - Frequently Asked Questions

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BASIC CONCEPTS

Q. What is Article 10?
Q. What is meant by the term "siting"?
Q. What is meant by the term "major"?
Q. What is meant by the term "electric generating"?
Q. What is meant by the term "facility"?
Q. What is meant by the term "certificate"?

THE SITING BOARD

Q. What is the "Siting Board"?

A. The Siting Board is a governmental entity of New York State organized within the New York State Department of Public Service. The Siting Board was established primarily to review applications and to issue or deny certificates authorizing the construction and operation of major electric generating facilities. When the Siting Board is reviewing an original application for a certificate, it consists of five permanent members and two ad hoc public members. The five permanent members of the Siting Board also have additional responsibilities to promulgate regulations for the implementation of Article 10, and they have jurisdiction with respect to the amendment, suspension or revocation of a certificate.

Q. Who are the permanent members of the Siting Board?
Q. What is meant by the term "ad hoc"?
Q. Do ad hoc public members receive any compensation for their service on the Siting Board?
Q. What are the qualifications to be an ad hoc public member?
Q. How are the two ad hoc public members designated to serve on the Siting Board?
Q. How is the list of ad hoc public member candidates established?

A. There is a different procedure depending on whether the facility is proposed to be located (a) in the City of New York; (b) in a town outside of any villages or in a city other than the City of New York; or (c) in a village.

Q. How is the list of candidates established in the City of New York?
Q. How is the list of candidates established in a town outside of any villages or in a city other than the City of New York?
Q. How is the list of candidates established in a village?

A. If such facility is proposed to be located in a village, the chief executive officer representing the town shall nominate four candidates, the chief executive officer representing the county shall nominate four candidates, and the chief executive officer representing the village shall nominate four candidates for consideration. The list of candidates is to be submitted to the President Pro Tem of the Senate or the Speaker of the Assembly within fifteen days of receipt of notification of the pre-application preliminary scoping statement.

Q. How is the list of candidates established if the facility is to be built on parcels of land located in more than one municipality?
Q. What resources are available to assist the Siting Board?


TYPES OF GENERATING FACILITIES

Q. What types of electric generating facilities are likely to be proposed pursuant to the Article 10 process?
Q. Are electric generating facilities to be built by a power authority exempt from the Article 10 process?
Q. Are any electric generating facilities exempt from the Article 10 process?
Q. If a facility is exempt from the Article 10 process, can the developer of the facility opt-in to the Article 10 process?

A. Yes, if the facility is excluded because of exemptions (d), (e), (f) or (g) set forth above in the answer to the preceding question, the person intending to construct the major electric generating facility may elect to become subject to the provisions of the Article 10 process.


PRE-APPLICATION PROCEDURES - PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT

Q. What is meant by the term "public involvement"?
Q. In what stages of the Article 10 process is it appropriate to conduct public involvement activities?
Q. How is public involvement conducted?
Q. Is the public required to participate in the applicant's public involvement activities?
Q. What are the purposes of a Public Involvement Program?
Q. What are the elements of a Public Involvement Program plan?
Q. When does the Public Involvement Program plan have to be prepared?
Q. What happens if the Department of Public Service (DPS) finds the Public Involvement Program plan to be inadequate?
What happens if the applicant refuses to incorporate a DPS recommendation without an adequate explanation, or has an inadequate Public Involvement Program plan?
Q. How do people who do not speak English participate in public involvement?
Q. What is the function of the Office of Public Information Coordinator created within the Department of Public Service?
Q. What is the Department of Public Service?
Q. How can I contact the Office of Public Information Coordinator?

PRE-APPLICATION PROCEDURES - PRELIMINARY SCOPING STATEMENT

Q. What is a Preliminary Scoping Statement?
Q. When does the Preliminary Scoping Statement have to be filed?

A. The preliminary scoping statement must be filed no less than 90 days before the date on which the applicant files its application for an Article 10 certificate. In addition, at least three days before the preliminary scoping statement is filed, the applicant must publish a public notice and summary of the preliminary scoping statement in local newspapers in the affected area and serve a copy of the notice and summary upon public officials and all persons who requested to receive such notices.

Q. What kind of information must be included in a Preliminary Scoping Statement?
Q. What happens after the Preliminary Scoping Statement is filed?

PRE-APPLICATION PROCEDURES - Fund for Municipal & LOCAL PARTIES

Q. What is the fund for municipal and local parties?
Q: How does an applicant set up the fund?

A. Applicants supplying the requisite fee to set up the intervenor funding account for the preliminary scoping phase of the case must provide a check, made out to the NYS Department of Public Service, simultaneously with the filing of their Preliminary Scoping Statement. The case number must be printed on the face of the check. The check must be delivered to the Director of the DPS Office of Finance and Budget, under cover of a letter stating the amount of the check and the Article 10 case name and number. The letter must be copied to the Secretary of the Siting Board for filing in the Article 10 case.


Q. What is an "intervenor"?
Q. What is the amount of the intervenor fee assessed during the pre-application stage?
Q. What happens if after the pre-application intervenor fees have been used up, the applicant amends its preliminary scoping statement and more review is required?
Q. How does a qualified intervenor make a request for intervenor funds?

A. A notice of availability of the funds will be issued providing a schedule and related information describing how interested members of the public may apply for pre-application funds. Requests for pre-application funds shall be submitted to the presiding examiner not later than 30 days after the issuance of the notice of availability by filing the request with the Secretary and submitting a copy to the presiding examiner and to the other parties to the proceeding. An initial pre-application meeting to consider fund requests shall be convened within no less than 45 days but no more than 60 days of the filing of a preliminary scoping statement. At any pre-application meeting that may be held to consider fund requests, intervenors should be prepared to discuss their funding applications and the award of funds. Intervenors are encouraged to consider the consolidation of requests with similar funding proposals of other intervenors.

Q. When are pre-application intervenor funds awarded?
Q. Who is eligible for intervenor funds?
Q. What can pre-application intervenor funds be used for?
Q. On what basis will the funds be awarded?

PRE-APPLICATION PROCEDURES - STIPULATIONS

Q. What are stipulations?

A. "Stipulations" are agreements among parties that concern matters before the Siting Board and are designed to simplify or shorten litigation and save costs. Any parties to the proceeding can enter into a stipulation setting forth an agreement on any aspect of the preliminary scoping statement and the scope of studies or program of studies to be conducted. It is often in the interests of applicants and other parties to agree in advance to the content and methodology for conducting studies that will be submitted as part of the application.

Q. How is the stipulations process initiated?
Q. Do other parties and the public get an opportunity to participate in the stipulations process?
Q. What happens if a party does not agree that a stipulation entered into between the applicant and another party is adequate?

APPLICATION PROCEDURES - SUBMISSION OF AN APPLICATION

Q. What happens when an Article 10 application is submitted?
Q. What happens if the documents submitted are insufficient to comply with the requirements of the law, regulations and stipulations?
Q. What happens if the documents submitted are sufficient to comply with the requirements of the law, regulations and stipulations?

APPLICATION PROCEDURES - DESIGNATION OF PARTIES

Q. Who are the parties to an Article 10 proceeding?

A. There are three kinds of parties: (a) automatic statutory parties; (b) parties that have a right to be a party merely by giving notice; and (c) parties that may be permitted to join.

Q. Who are the automatic statutory parties to an Article 10 proceeding?
Q. Who are the parties that have a right to be a party to an Article 10 proceeding merely by giving notice?
Q. Who are the parties that may be permitted to join?
Q. Where does a party file a notice of intent to be a party?

APPLICATION PROCEDURES - Fund for Municipal & LOCAL PARTIES

Q. What is the amount of the intervenor fee assessed when an application is filed?
Q. How does an applicant set up the fund?
A. Applicants supplying the requisite fee to set up the intervenor funding account for the application phase of the case must provide a check, made out to the NYS Department of Public Service, simultaneously with the filing of their Application.

The case number must be printed on the face of the check. The check must be delivered to the Director of the DPS Office of Finance and Budget, under cover of a letter stating the amount of the check and the Article 10 case name and number. The letter must be copied to the Secretary of the Siting Board for filing in the Article 10 case.


Q. What happens if after the application phase intervenor fees have been used up, the applicant amends its application and more review is required?

A. If the application amendment is deemed a revision requiring substantial additional scrutiny, the applicant will be assessed an additional intervenor fee equal to $1,000 for each 1,000 kilowatts of capacity of the proposed project, as amended, but no more than $75,000.00. The presiding examiner may increase the level of the additional intervenor fee up to the maximum level of $75,000 if the presiding examiner finds circumstances require a higher level of intervenor funding in order to ensure an adequate record.

Q. How does a qualified intervenor make a request for intervenor funds?
Q. Who is eligible for intervenor funds?
Q. What can application phase intervenor funds be used for?
Q. On what basis will the funds be awarded?

HEARING PROCEDURES - CONDUCT OF THE HEARING

Q. Who conducts the hearings?
Q. What kinds of hearings will be held?
Q. What are "public statement" hearings?
Q. What is a "limited appearance"?
Q. What are "trial-type evidentiary" hearings?
Q. What is "discovery"?
Q. If the Siting Board does not personally conduct the hearings, how does it become informed of the proceedings?

SITING BOARD DECISIONS - TIMING OF THE DECISION

Q. Is there a deadline by which the Siting Board must make a final decision on an Article 10 application?
Q. What happens to the deadline if the application is amended during the Article 10 proceeding?
Q. Are there any other exceptions to the deadlines described above?

SITING BOARD DECISIONS - SUBSTANCE OF THE DECISION

Q. What options does the Siting Board have in making a decision on an Article 10 application?
Q. What substantive matters must be addressed in any Siting Board decision to grant an Article 10 certificate?
Q. What are the required statutory findings that must be made by the Siting Board?

A. The Siting Board must make explicit findings regarding the nature of the probable environmental impacts of the construction and operation of the facility, including the cumulative environmental impacts of the construction and operation of related facilities such as electric lines, gas lines, water supply lines, waste water or other sewage treatment facilities, communications and relay facilities, access roads, rail facilities, or steam lines, including impacts on: (a) ecology, air, ground and surface water, wildlife, and habitat;
(b) public health and safety; (c) cultural, historic, and recreational resources, including aesthetics and scenic values; and (d) transportation, communication, utilities and other infrastructure. Such findings shall include the cumulative impact of emissions on the local community including whether the construction and operation of the facility results in a significant and adverse disproportionate environmental impact, in accordance with regulations promulgated by the Department of Environmental Conservation regarding environmental justice issues.

Q. What are the required statutory determinations that must be made by the Siting Board?
Q. What are the required statutory factors that must be considered by the Siting Board in making the required determinations?

COMPLIANCE AND ENFORCEMENT

Q. Who is in charge of compliance and enforcement matters regarding a Certificate that has been issued?