For more than 15 years, data collected at Five Rivers has been contributed to this continent-wide citizen science project conducted through the University of Minnesota. You can join volunteers in the United States, Canada, and Mexico in conserving monarchs and advancing understanding of butterfly ecology and migration in general. Wear long pants and bring a sun hat and water. We will meet at the visitor center. Go to www.mlmp.org to learn about the project.

Space is limited and registration is required. Call 518-475-0291 by the Saturday prior to register. 

For the safety of our visitors, staff and volunteers, and in compliance with guidance from New York State, the New York State Department of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), social distancing practices must be followed. Masks must be worn throughout guided programs, while at a roving program, and on the trails whenever a 6-foot distance cannot be maintained between individuals or households.  

This Notice serves to provide the public notification that the NYS DEC will hold public comment hearings on August 26, 2021 as described below.

Project Description:

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC), as lead agency, has determined that the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS), and applications for draft Title IV and Title V air permits, draft Industrial SPDES permit modification and water withdrawal for the proposed Astoria Replacement Project (Replacement Project), are complete for the purposes of public review and comment. The existing Facility currently consists of 31 older, peaking-only gas and oil-fired CTs including 24 Pratt & Whitney (P&W) turbines and seven retired Westinghouse turbines, with a combined nameplate rating of 646 MWe (502 MWe not including the retired Westinghouse turbines). The proposed Replacement Project, as modified, will replace the nearly 50-year-old P&W and Westinghouse turbines at the Facility with a new state-of-the art simple cycle dual-fuel peaking CTG. The proposed Replacement Project will include a new CTG which will be a highly efficient, quick start, fast-ramping, General Electric (GE) H-Class 7HA.03 or equivalent unit that has a nominal generator output of approximately 437 MWe. The new CTG will fire natural gas as the primary fuel with limited ultra-low sulfur distillate (ULSD) liquid fuel for backup. The proposed Replacement Project will also include a ULSD-fired emergency generator, and two ULSD-fired emergency fire water pumps. All of the existing units, with the exception of one P&W Twin Pac (consisting of two combustion turbines and a single generator), will be permanently shut down once the proposed Replacement Project has completed its shakedown period. The two remaining P&W turbines will remain operational to make the site black-start capable until replaced by an approximately 24 MWe battery energy storage system. The P&W Twin Pac uses natural gas as its primary fuel with ultra-low sulfur kerosene (ULSK) as backup. Make up water will be sourced from existing connections to the New York City water supply. No water will be withdrawn from the East River. Construction will require dewatering of the project site. The dewatering will involve the withdrawal of approximately 0.7 MGD of groundwater. The groundwater will be treated and ultimately discharged via existing outfall 001.

Written Comments:

All written comments concerning the draft air permits must be submitted to the NYS DEC Contact Person listed below by September 13, 2021. Comments sent by regular mail must be postmarked no later than September 13, 2021. E-mail and Fax comments must be received by 5:00 p.m. (EDT), September 13, 2021. All written comments regarding the permit applications, proposed draft permits, fact sheets and SDEIS submitted by e-mail should be sent to: comment.nrgastoriagas@dec.ny.gov.

Astoria Gas Turbine Power Replacement Project
 
Virtual public comment hearing sessions to receive unsworn statements from the public on the applications and the draft permits will be held on August 24, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. and; on August 26, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Any person wishing to provide a public statement must register in advance of the hearing no later than 10:00 a.m. August 23, 2021. Any person who wishes only to observe the webinar online must also register. Any person may listen to the hearing by phone without pre-registration. See below for additional details on each of these hearings.
 
Applicant

Astoria Gas Turbine Power LLC
 31-01 20th Ave
 Astoria, NY 11105

Facility

Astoria Gas Turbine Power Replacement Project
 31-01 20th Ave
 Astoria, NY 11105

For additional project information and details on providing comments, see the Amended Notice of Legislative Public Comment Hearing dated August 11, 2021.

Virtual Legislative Public Comment Hearing

Only virtual legislative public comment hearings will be held given the COVID-19 status. The in-person sessions scheduled for August 26, 2021 have been converted to virtual legislative public comment hearings.

Virtual legislative public comment hearings pursuant to 6 NYCRR part 621 to hear and receive unsworn comments from the public will be held on August 24, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., and on August 26, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. All hearing sessions will be conducted electronically through the Webex Events electronic webinar platform.

Instructions for Attending the Virtual Legislative Public Comment Hearings

August 26, 2021 Virtual Legislative Public Comment Hearing

To join the 1:00 p.m. virtual public comment hearing through the internet, visit www.webex.com and click "Join a meeting."

Event Number: 179 230 7019
 Password: Aug26-1PM

To join the 1:00 p.m. hearing by phone only:

Dial: 1-518-549-0500
 Access Code: 179 230 7019

To join the 6:00 p.m. virtual public comment hearing through the internet, visit www.webex.com and click "Join a meeting."

Event Number: 179 945 4449
 Password: Aug26-6PM

To join the 6:00 p.m. hearing by phone only:

Dial: 1-518-549-0500
 Access Code: 179 945 4449

Interpretation will be available in the following languages:

Arabic: Call 518-549-0500 and use access code 90717663

Bengali: Call 518-549-0500 and use access code 90732369

Greek: Call 518-549-0500 and use access code 90704084

Spanish: Call 518-549-0500 and use access code 96509638

American Sign Language: Instructions for viewing the ASL interpreter will be given at the start of the hearing.

Persons wishing to comment on Astoria Gas Turbine Power LLC's application and the draft permits will have the opportunity to make a statement at the public comment hearing webinar. Any person wishing to provide a public statement must register in advance of the hearing no later than 10:00 a.m. August 23, 2021. Any person who wishes only to observe the webinar online must also register. Any person may listen to the hearing by phone without pre-registration.

To register electronically: Persons who will login to the hearings electronically must register. To register, visit https://www.webex.com, click "Join a meeting," input the event number listed above, click "Register," and fill in the requested information. You will be asked whether you wish to make a public statement or not. After registration is complete, you will receive a confirmation by email with information about how to join the hearing. We request that speakers only register for one hearing session.

On the appropriate date and time of the hearings, participants should visit https://www.webex.com, click "Join a meeting" at the top right-hand corner of the screen, and input the appropriate event number for the hearing. Participants will be asked to "select audio system." It is recommended that participants choose to have the system "call me" or "call using computer." The "call me" option will require participants to enter their phone numbers.

To register by telephone: Any person who is not able to login electronically may participate by telephone. Call-in participants must register to speak in advance by calling the Department at 518-402-9003 no later than 10:00 a.m. on August 23, 2021. Please provide your first and last name, address, email address if any, and telephone number and reference the Astoria Gas Turbine Power Replacement Project public comment hearing. We request that speakers only register for one hearing session.

On the day and time of the hearings, use the phone access phone number, (518) 549-0500, and the appropriate access code listed above to join the hearings.

All participants will be muted upon entry into the hearings. The ALJ will call each person who has requested to provide a statement to speak. Speakers will be called in the order they registered, with elected official being called first. The ALJ will continue the hearings until everyone wishing to speak has been heard or other reasonable arrangements have been made to include their comments in the record. The ALJ may limit the time available for oral comments to three (3) minutes per person, as necessary to afford all participants an opportunity to be heard. We also recommend that lengthy comments be summarized for oral presentation and submitted in writing as provided above. The hearing will be stenographically recorded for inclusion in the record.

Contact: Christopher Hogan, NYS DEC - Division of Environmental Permits, 625 Broadway, 4th Floor, Albany, NY 12233-1750 , Phone: (518) 402-9167, Fax: (518) 402-9168, E-mail: comment.nrgastoriagas@dec.ny.gov

Climate Justice Working Group

The Climate Justice Working Group (CJWG) will hold an informational meeting on Thursday, August 26 at 2:00 p.m. The CJWG is comprised of representatives from Environmental Justice communities statewide, including three members from New York City communities, three members from rural communities, and three members from urban communities in upstate New York, as well as representatives from the State Departments of Environmental Conservation, Health, Labor, and NYSERDA. The CJWG is tasked with establishing criteria for identifying disadvantaged communities for the purposes of co-pollutant reductions, greenhouse gas emissions reductions, regulatory impact statements, and the allocation of investments pursuant to the CLCPA.

This informational meeting will not take any official action but include presentations on mapping analysis and will be conducted by teleconference. Members of the public are welcome to listen to the meeting via webcast.

When: Thursday, August 26, 2021, 2:00 p.m.
Where: https://meetny.webex.com/meetny/onstage/g.php?MTID=e0f070e8a9cf11868a276fd170fc0a521
Audio: Dial 1-518-549-0500; Access code: 161 537 6360#

This meeting will also be recorded and posted on the Climate Act website within three days, or as soon as practicable.

This Notice serves to provide the public notification that the NYS DEC will hold public comment hearings on August 26, 2021 as described below.

Project Description:

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC), as lead agency, has determined that the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS), and applications for draft Title IV and Title V air permits, draft Industrial SPDES permit modification and water withdrawal for the proposed Astoria Replacement Project (Replacement Project), are complete for the purposes of public review and comment. The existing Facility currently consists of 31 older, peaking-only gas and oil-fired CTs including 24 Pratt & Whitney (P&W) turbines and seven retired Westinghouse turbines, with a combined nameplate rating of 646 MWe (502 MWe not including the retired Westinghouse turbines). The proposed Replacement Project, as modified, will replace the nearly 50-year-old P&W and Westinghouse turbines at the Facility with a new state-of-the art simple cycle dual-fuel peaking CTG. The proposed Replacement Project will include a new CTG which will be a highly efficient, quick start, fast-ramping, General Electric (GE) H-Class 7HA.03 or equivalent unit that has a nominal generator output of approximately 437 MWe. The new CTG will fire natural gas as the primary fuel with limited ultra-low sulfur distillate (ULSD) liquid fuel for backup. The proposed Replacement Project will also include a ULSD-fired emergency generator, and two ULSD-fired emergency fire water pumps. All of the existing units, with the exception of one P&W Twin Pac (consisting of two combustion turbines and a single generator), will be permanently shut down once the proposed Replacement Project has completed its shakedown period. The two remaining P&W turbines will remain operational to make the site black-start capable until replaced by an approximately 24 MWe battery energy storage system. The P&W Twin Pac uses natural gas as its primary fuel with ultra-low sulfur kerosene (ULSK) as backup. Make up water will be sourced from existing connections to the New York City water supply. No water will be withdrawn from the East River. Construction will require dewatering of the project site. The dewatering will involve the withdrawal of approximately 0.7 MGD of groundwater. The groundwater will be treated and ultimately discharged via existing outfall 001.

Written Comments:

All written comments concerning the draft air permits must be submitted to the NYS DEC Contact Person listed below by September 13, 2021. Comments sent by regular mail must be postmarked no later than September 13, 2021. E-mail and Fax comments must be received by 5:00 p.m. (EDT), September 13, 2021. All written comments regarding the permit applications, proposed draft permits, fact sheets and SDEIS submitted by e-mail should be sent to: comment.nrgastoriagas@dec.ny.gov.

Astoria Gas Turbine Power Replacement Project
 
Virtual public comment hearing sessions to receive unsworn statements from the public on the applications and the draft permits will be held on August 24, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. and; on August 26, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Any person wishing to provide a public statement must register in advance of the hearing no later than 10:00 a.m. August 23, 2021. Any person who wishes only to observe the webinar online must also register. Any person may listen to the hearing by phone without pre-registration. See below for additional details on each of these hearings.
 
Applicant

Astoria Gas Turbine Power LLC
 31-01 20th Ave
 Astoria, NY 11105

Facility

Astoria Gas Turbine Power Replacement Project
 31-01 20th Ave
 Astoria, NY 11105

For additional project information and details on providing comments, see the Amended Notice of Legislative Public Comment Hearing dated August 11, 2021.

Virtual Legislative Public Comment Hearing

Only virtual legislative public comment hearings will be held given the COVID-19 status. The in-person sessions scheduled for August 26, 2021 have been converted to virtual legislative public comment hearings.

Virtual legislative public comment hearings pursuant to 6 NYCRR part 621 to hear and receive unsworn comments from the public will be held on August 24, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., and on August 26, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. All hearing sessions will be conducted electronically through the Webex Events electronic webinar platform.

Instructions for Attending the Virtual Legislative Public Comment Hearings

August 26, 2021 Virtual Legislative Public Comment Hearing

To join the 1:00 p.m. virtual public comment hearing through the internet, visit www.webex.com and click "Join a meeting."

Event Number: 179 230 7019
 Password: Aug26-1PM

To join the 1:00 p.m. hearing by phone only:

Dial: 1-518-549-0500
 Access Code: 179 230 7019

To join the 6:00 p.m. virtual public comment hearing through the internet, visit www.webex.com and click "Join a meeting."

Event Number: 179 945 4449
 Password: Aug26-6PM

To join the 6:00 p.m. hearing by phone only:

Dial: 1-518-549-0500
 Access Code: 179 945 4449

Interpretation will be available in the following languages:

Arabic: Call 518-549-0500 and use access code 90717663

Bengali: Call 518-549-0500 and use access code 90732369

Greek: Call 518-549-0500 and use access code 90704084

Spanish: Call 518-549-0500 and use access code 96509638

American Sign Language: Instructions for viewing the ASL interpreter will be given at the start of the hearing.

Persons wishing to comment on Astoria Gas Turbine Power LLC's application and the draft permits will have the opportunity to make a statement at the public comment hearing webinar. Any person wishing to provide a public statement must register in advance of the hearing no later than 10:00 a.m. August 23, 2021. Any person who wishes only to observe the webinar online must also register. Any person may listen to the hearing by phone without pre-registration.

To register electronically: Persons who will login to the hearings electronically must register. To register, visit https://www.webex.com, click "Join a meeting," input the event number listed above, click "Register," and fill in the requested information. You will be asked whether you wish to make a public statement or not. After registration is complete, you will receive a confirmation by email with information about how to join the hearing. We request that speakers only register for one hearing session.

On the appropriate date and time of the hearings, participants should visit https://www.webex.com, click "Join a meeting" at the top right-hand corner of the screen, and input the appropriate event number for the hearing. Participants will be asked to "select audio system." It is recommended that participants choose to have the system "call me" or "call using computer." The "call me" option will require participants to enter their phone numbers.

To register by telephone: Any person who is not able to login electronically may participate by telephone. Call-in participants must register to speak in advance by calling the Department at 518-402-9003 no later than 10:00 a.m. on August 23, 2021. Please provide your first and last name, address, email address if any, and telephone number and reference the Astoria Gas Turbine Power Replacement Project public comment hearing. We request that speakers only register for one hearing session.

On the day and time of the hearings, use the phone access phone number, (518) 549-0500, and the appropriate access code listed above to join the hearings.

All participants will be muted upon entry into the hearings. The ALJ will call each person who has requested to provide a statement to speak. Speakers will be called in the order they registered, with elected official being called first. The ALJ will continue the hearings until everyone wishing to speak has been heard or other reasonable arrangements have been made to include their comments in the record. The ALJ may limit the time available for oral comments to three (3) minutes per person, as necessary to afford all participants an opportunity to be heard. We also recommend that lengthy comments be summarized for oral presentation and submitted in writing as provided above. The hearing will be stenographically recorded for inclusion in the record.

Contact: Christopher Hogan, NYS DEC - Division of Environmental Permits, 625 Broadway, 4th Floor, Albany, NY 12233-1750 , Phone: (518) 402-9167, Fax: (518) 402-9168, E-mail: comment.nrgastoriagas@dec.ny.gov