Application of West Point Partners, LLC for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need Pursuant to Article VII for Authority to Construct and Operate a 345 kV Transmission Line known as the West Point Project.

PSC Seeking Public Comments
The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) held four informational forums and public statement hearings regarding an application of West Point Partners, LLC for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need Pursuant to Article VII for authority to construct and operate a 345 kilovolt (kV) transmission line known as the West Point Project. Each public statement hearing was preceded by an informational forum. During the informational forums, Department of Public Service Staff (DPS Staff) presented a brief overview of the Public Service Law (PSL) Article VII process; West Point Partners, LLC provided an overview of the proposed project. The public had an opportunity for informal discussion with DPS Staff and West Point Partners, LLC before and after the informational forum.

Individuals with difficulty understanding or reading English are encouraged to call the Commission at 1-800-342-3377 for free language assistance services regarding this fact sheet.

Public Statement Hearings were held on April 23, 2014 in Ahtens, NY and on April 30, 2014 in Cortmandt Manor, NY.  Transcripts of the public statement hearings and all other comments received by the Commission will become part of the record and will be posted for public viewing on the Commission’s website, at www.dps.ny.gov.

Proposed Facility Location
West Point Partners, LLC proposes to construct and operate a high voltage direct current (HVDC) 1,000 megawatts (MW) electric transmission facility connecting the existing National Grid Leeds substation in the Town of Athens, Greene County, New York and the existing Consolidated Edison Buchanan North substation in the Village of Buchanan, Town of Cortlandt, Westchester County, New York (the Project). The Project will be comprised of the following principal components:

a. Approximately 77.3 miles of in-river 320 kV HVDC Transmission Cable together with associated communications fiber buried in the bed of the Hudson River;
b. Two underground transition vaults, one at each end of the in-river cable route, where the in-river cable will be spliced to the land transmission cables;
c. Approximately 3.6 miles of 320 kV HVDC land transmission cable with associated communication fiber linking in-river cable to the northern and southern converter stations;
d. Two Voltage Source Conversion-High Voltage Direct Current (VSD-HVDC) converter stations, one at each end of the HVDC cable, linking the HVDC cable to the 345 kV alternating current (AC) Grid; and
e. Approximately 1.6 miles of 345 kV AC land cable connecting the VSC-HVDC converter stations to the Leeds and Buchanan North substations interconnection points.

The in-river cable will be buried in submerged lands owned by New York State, within the Hudson River. From the northern underground transition vault, land cables will be located in the Town and Village of Athens. From the southern underground transition vault, land cables will be located in the Hamlet of Verplanck and Village of Buchanan, within the Town of Cortlandt. Land cables at either end of the Project will be located within existing public rights-of-way and in rights-of-way secured from private land owners. The northern and southern converter stations will be located on privately owned properties.

New York State Certification Review Process for Major Electric Transmission Lines
PSL Article VII establishes the review process for consideration of any application to construct and operate an electric transmission line with a design capacity of 100 kilovolts or more, extending for at least ten miles. The Commission received this application for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need from West Point Partners, LLC on July 1, 2013, which was supplemented on August 9, August 16, August 22, September 6, December 5, December 19, 2013, January 22 and February 4, 2014.
The public statement hearings identified in this fact sheet are being held to provide the public with the opportunity to comment on the Project.
The PSC must decide whether to grant or deny the application, and must make findings regarding:

• The basis of need for the facility;
• The nature of probable environmental impacts, and whether impacts will be minimized;
• What part, if any, of the line shall be constructed underground and whether the project conforms with plans for electric grid expansion;
• Whether the Project conforms with local laws and regulations, or the need for waiver of those laws and regulations; and
• Whether the Project serves the public interest, convenience and necessity.

How to Obtain Information
To review the PSL Article VII application documents and other materials pertaining to this case, including a description of the probable environmental impact of the proposed Facility, from the Commission’s website, www.dps.ny.gov, click on “Search,” and enter “13-T-0292” in the “Search by Case Number” field.

Ways to Participate in the Article VII Process
Article VII provides opportunities for individual and group stakeholders to take part in the formal review of the application. There are several ways to participate in the Article VII process as described below. To save time and manage all of your service and party list subscriptions easily, you may become a registered user of the NYS Public Service Commission’s Document and Matter Management (DMM) System, by clicking on this link: http://www.dps.ny.gov/DMM_Registration.html. Once registered, you can electronically submit requests to be added to the service or party list for a case.

• 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.

When you submit the request for party status on-line (through DMM), you 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. You will be required to mail your request to anyone on the party list who cannot receive e-mail service. If you do not wish to register online through the Commission’s DMM System, you can download the “Request for Party Status Form” (http://tinyurl.com/PSCParticipateForms) and follow the filing instructions on the form. If you do not have access to a computer, you can call or write to Administrative Law Judge, NYS Public Service Commission, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12223-1350, 518-474-4520, to request that a form be mailed to you. Please refer to Case Number 13-T-0292.

An intervenor fund of $350,000.00 has been established for this case, to allow parties to contribute to the development of a complete record and to foster broad public participation. Please see the March 25, 2014 Notice of Intervenor Fund Availability for further information on the intervenor fund.

• 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.

If you do not wish to register on the NYS Public Service Commission’s DMM System, you may download the “Service List and Mail Service List Request Form” (http://tinyurl.com/PSCParticipateForms) and send the completed form by e-mail to Hon. Kathleen H. Burgess, Secretary at [email protected]. If you are unable to e-mail the form to the Secretary, you may mail your request to: Secretary, Public Service Commission, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12223-1350.

• Web Monitoring: 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 (click here for more information on Case 13-T-0292). 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.

Other Methods for Commenting on the Case
• 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, Albany, New York 12223-1350. Comments may also be entered directly at the Commission’s webpage, here. 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 in-state calls 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 and will be posted for public viewing on the Commission’s website, at www.dps.ny.gov. Callers should press “1” and select the choice for electric to leave comments about “Case 13-T-0292 (West Point Partners Transmission Project).”