Information on the 94-c Process

Rock District Solar’s transfer application under Section 94-c may be examined during normal business hours at the Office of Renewable Energy Siting. Additionally, a copy of the application will be available for viewing at the community library in Cobleskill located at 110 Union Street, Cobleskill, NY 12043.

Overview of the Section 94-c application review process:

Once an application is filed under Section 94-c, ORES has sixty (60) days to identify whether the application is complete or incomplete. If deficiencies are identified, once the applicant makes its submission addressing those deficiencies, ORES then has another sixty (60) days to review the applicant’s responses. The process of identifying and responding to deficiencies may repeat until the application is determined complete.

A complete application triggers the statutory one-year clock for a decision on the issuance of a final permit. A draft permit is issued within sixty (60) days of the complete application. After the draft permit is issued, a notice will be issued by ORES scheduling a public comment hearing as well as setting a time period for receipt of written public comments. The notice will also set forth a process for: the host local municipality(ies) to file a statement to address whether the project is designed to be sited, constructed and operated in compliance with local laws regarding the environment or public health and safety; for such municipalities and other interested persons (intervenors) to request “party status” in the proceeding; and for any such persons or entities requesting party status, as well as the applicant, to file statements identifying any issues for an adjudicatory hearing. To be granted party status and require an adjudicatory hearing, the municipality or intervenor must raise a “substantive and significant” issue related to the project. Whether or not an adjudicatory hearing is held, a decision whether to issue the final permit must thereafter be made within the statutorily required one-year period from the date of complete application.

Pursuant to Subpart 900-5 of the Regulations, local agencies and potential community intervenors seeking funds from the local agency account may submit a request to the Office within thirty (30) days after application filing, and a notice will be issued by ORES providing details on the process and timing for making such requests for funds as soon as the application is filed. In general, such requests should be made to the Office of Renewable Energy Siting, at the Albany, New York office, Attention: Request for Local Agency Account Funding.

The below instructions detail how a member of the community can access the ORES Permitting Application Portal to sign up for e-mail notifications regarding the proposed facility.

First: Create a My Ny.Gov ID Account.

• Open https://my.ny.gov/ and click “Don’t Have an Account”.

• Choose “Person” to sign up for a personal account and enter the required information.

• Complete the activation steps by logging into your email and clicking on the activation link.

• Complete the activation process and click “Continue” to navigate to the password settings.

• Enter and save a new password.

Second: Log into Your Account for the First Time.

• Once you have completed the account set-up, navigate to the ORES Permit Portal at https://orespermits.ny.gov/custom/index.aspx.

• Enter your My.NY.gov username and password. You will be prompted to confirm your email address. Once confirmed, you will be sent an email to complete your registration.

• Click on the link to complete registration. This process will entail entering your credentials, including name and mailing address.

• Once you are fully registered, you can subscribe to receive notifications of the application.

Third: Manage Your Service List and Party List Subscriptions.

• To monitor the proceedings of the Rock District Solar application, subscribe to the service list and/or party list.

• To do so, login to the ORES permit portal using your My.NY.gov account at https://orespermits.ny.gov/custom/index.aspx.

• From the homepage, click on Manage Your Service List & Party List Subscriptions. Enter the permit application number (23-00033) or search for the permit application.

• Add the organization in the Appearing on Behalf of field. You can enter yourself in this field. Then choose the Electronic Consent and Email Preference you wish and hit Subscribe.

• Once you are fully registered, you can subscribe to receive notifications of the application.

How to access documents from the ORES website:

To access documents from the ORES website, visit http://ores.ny.gov. From here, click the “Permit Applications” tab, which will connect you to the part of the site regarding pending projects. You will be able to view and access projects that have submitted notices of intent, projects that are under review, and permitted projects. Simply click on the project’s associated matter number to view and access documents related to the project. The matter number for the Rock District Solar application is: 23-00033.

ORES Staff Contact Information:

ORES
Phone: (518) 473-4590
general@ores.ny.gov

Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES)
c/o: OGS Mailroom
Empire State Plaza
P-1 South, J Dock
Albany, N.Y. 12242

Developer Staff Contact Information:

Emily Proutey
Phone: (332) 900-3530
emily.proutey@ccrenew.com

Cypress Creek Renewables
c/o: Aurelius Coworks
24 4th Street
Troy, N.Y. 12180