The New York State Department of Public Service has announced that the Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission (ORES) will hold an in-person public comment hearing regarding a proposed 100-megawatt solar facility by Fort Edward Solar NY, LLC. The hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, September 30, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. at Durkeetown Church in Fort Edward, Washington County.
The application for the solar project was submitted to ORES on August 22, 2024. On May 27, 2025, ORES issued a notice that the application was complete. Draft permit conditions were published on July 28, 2025. More information about the project and related documents can be found by accessing Project Permit Application Number 23-03023 on the ORES website at https://dps.ny.gov/ores-permit-applications.
Members of the public—including individuals, organizations, corporations, or government agencies—who may be affected by the proposed facility are invited to attend and provide comments on both the application and draft permit conditions. According to the announcement: “Lengthy comments will not be accepted and instead should be submitted in writing. Equal weight will be given to both oral and written comments.” To allow as many people as possible to participate, Administrative Law Judges may limit oral statements to three minutes per person. All spoken remarks during the hearing will become part of the official record through transcription.
The location for the hearing is accessible for those with mobility impairments. Anyone requiring special accommodations should contact the Department of Public Service’s Human Resource Management Office at (518) 473-9463 as early as possible. Sign language interpreters can be requested via New York Relay Service at 711. Individuals needing assistance with English are encouraged to call (800) 342-3377 for free language services.
If changes occur regarding cancellation or rescheduling of the event—or if it must move online—updates will appear on https://dps.ny.gov/ores.
Written comments must be filed with ORES by Friday, October 3, 2025 at 5:00 p.m., either posted through DPS’s Document and Matter Management system online via https://dps.ny.gov/ores (Project Permit Application Number 23-03023), emailed to [email protected], or mailed to ORES’s Albany office at Empire State Plaza. Written submissions are considered equally with oral statements if received or postmarked by this deadline.
The agency notes: “Please take notice that written public comments will be publicly posted on DMM. ORES reserves the right not to post duplicate or repeat comments. In addition, ORES reserves the right to remove, without notice, comments containing any defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, discriminatory, confidential, or unlawful material or information of any kind.”
Application materials and draft permits can be reviewed during normal business hours at ORES’s Albany office; contact details are provided in the announcement for those seeking access or electronic copies through https://dps.ny.gov/ores-permitapplications under Project Permit Application Number 23-03023.
Copies are also available locally at both Town of Fort Edward Municipal Office (118 Broadway) and Fort Edward Free Library (22 East Street).
