Vermont Gas Systems, Inc. filed an application with the New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) seeking approval to construct a natural gas transmission line and appurtenant facilities in the Town of Ticonderoga, Essex County.  The proposed project will extend from the New York border with Vermont and lay beneath the bed of Lake Champlain.  In addition, the Company filed a petition with the Commission seeking authority to provide gas service to the paper production facility of International Paper Company in the Town of Ticonderoga.

Public Statement Hearing

The Commission is seeking public comment on a proposal by Vermont Gas Systems, Inc. to construct a natural gas pipeline and to provide gas service to International Paper Company’s Ticonderoga Paper Mill.  Interested members of the public are invited to attend a public statement hearing and provide their comments.  

An Administrative Law Judge will conduct the public statement hearing.  In order to speak at the hearing, it is not necessary to be present at the start of the hearing, to make an appointment in advance, or to present written material.  Persons will be called to speak after completing a request card.  A time limit may be set to allow the greatest number of speakers to be heard.  The public statement hearing will continue until everyone wishing to speak has been heard or other reasonable arrangements have been made.  A verbatim transcript of the hearing will be made for inclusion in the record of these proceedings.

The hearing will be preceded at 6:00 pm by a brief presentation by Department of Public Service staff.  The presentation will describe the nature of the filings and the process by which they will be brought to the Commission for decision.

Disabled persons requiring special accommodations may place a collect call to the DPS’s Human Resources Management Office at 518-474-2520.  TDD users may request a sign language interpreter by placing a call through the New York Relay Service at 711 to reach the Department of Public Service’s Human Resources Office at the previously mentioned number.  If you have difficulty understanding English, please call the Department at 1-800-342-3377 for free language assistance services.

Description of the Proposed Facility

Vermont Gas filed an application with the Commission (Case 14-T-0406) to construct the New York components of a natural gas pipeline that will connect the Ticonderoga Mill to Vermont Gas Systems, Inc. facilities in Vermont.  These components consist of:

• a metering and regulating (M&R) station to be built on a 16,250 square foot fenced area adjacent to the Ticonderoga Mill property;
• approximately 1,380 feet of 10-inch welded steel transmission line from the New York border with Vermont to the M&R station; and
• two low pressure high density polyethylene distribution lines, one 12-inches and one 6-inches in diameter, extending approximately 3,600 feet from the M&R station to the Ticonderoga Mill. 

The proposed transmission line will be laid beneath the bed of Lake Champlain using horizontal directional drilling and will emerge from the lake north of the Ticonderoga Mill and extend approximately 500 feet to the new regulating station.

In addition to the pipeline application, the Company filed a petition in accordance with Public Service Law §68 for approval to provide gas service to the Ticonderoga Mill (Case 14-G-0416).  Vermont Gas states that the mill is critical to the regional economy.  Granting the gas franchise would allow the mill to lower its production costs by switching from number 6 fuel oil to natural gas and will provide tangible environmental benefits.  The Company is asking that this service be subject to lightened regulation, which would be consistent with Commission precedents.

How to Obtain Information

The application documents and other materials pertaining to these cases, including a description of the probable environmental impact of the proposed Facility, can be obtained from the Commission’s website, www.dps.ny.gov, by clicking on “Search,” and entering “14-G-0416” or “14-T-0406” in the “Search by Case Number” field.

Ways to Participate in the Process

There are several ways to participate in the process, including:

• Request Party Status: Becoming a party to a case enables an individual or group to contribute to the development of a complete record by conducting discovery, submitting testimony, briefs, or other formal written comments, and participating in evidentiary hearings, procedural conferences and other formal events conducted in the case.
  
  Interested groups or individuals can submit a request for party status on-line through the Commission’s www.dps.ny.gov website by searching for Case 14-T-0406 or Case 14-G-0416 and clicking the “Request for Party Status” link at the top of the Case page.  Alternatively, a “Request for Party Status Form” can be downloaded from the website (http://tinyurl.com/PSCParticipateForms) or obtained by calling or writing Administrative Law Judge, NYS Public Service Commission, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12223-1350, 518-474-4520.  The requestor will be provisionally added to the party list, subject to the right of other parties to object and subject to the determination of the Administrative Law Judge.
   
• Join the Service List:  Interested persons who wish to monitor the proceedings of a particular case can do so without the formal commitment to become a party to the proceeding.  The persons who subscribe to the service list of a case will receive an e-mail with a direct link to the documents issued by the Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulings.  Persons unable or unwilling to receive such electronic notification will receive hard copies of Commission-issued documents by regular mail.
  
  To register on-line, click on the “Subscribe to Service List” link at the top of the page for Case 14-T-0406 or Case 14-G-0416.  A “Service List and Mail Service List Request Form” can be downloaded at http://tinyurl.com/PSCParticipateForms and the completed form sent by e-mail to Hon. Kathleen H. Burgess, Secretary at [email protected] or by mail to: Secretary, Public Service Commission, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12223-1350.
  
   
• Monitor the Case on the Commission Website:  Interested persons who choose not to sign up to receive e-mail notifications can view our website at their convenience to check on the status of a case.  All documents filed by parties, correspondence, hearing transcripts, and documents issued by the Commission in a given case are posted on the website for that case.  In addition, all comments submitted by the public are posted under the ‘public comments’ tab for the case.
   
• Provide Comments:  There are opportunities to attend public outreach events to learn about the project and provide comments.   Currently, the Commission is seeking public comment on the application for the Dunkirk project as described above.  The public statement hearings identified in this fact sheet are being held to provide the public with the opportunity to comment on the Project.  In addition to attending the hearings, comments can be provided to the Commission using the following:
  
  Via the Internet or In Writing:  Public comments may be submitted electronically to Hon. Kathleen H. Burgess, Secretary, at [email protected], or by mail or delivery to, Secretary Burgess at the Department of Public Service, Three Empire State Plaza, and Albany, New York 12223-1350.  Comments may also be entered directly at the Commission’s webpage.  In the open case, enter comments in the “Post Comments” tab located at the top of the page.  Comments should refer to “Case 14-T-0406 and 14-G-0416 (Vermont Gas Systems - Ticonderoga).”  Many libraries offer free internet service.
  
  Toll-Free Opinion Line:  Individuals may choose to submit comments by calling the Commission’s toll-free Opinion Line at 1-800-335-2120.  This line is set up to receive comments on pending cases from in-state callers, 24-hours a day.  These calls are not transcribed but a summary is provided to the administrative law judges who will report to the Commission.  Callers should press “1” to leave comments and should refer to “Case 14-T-0406 and 14-G-0416 (Vermont Gas Systems – Ticonderoga).

All comments provided through these methods should be submitted no later than December 31, 2014. Comments received through the hearings or the methods listed above will become part of the record considered by the Commission and will be posted for public viewing on the Commission’s website.

You can click here for a printable version of our fact sheet.