Public comment hearing via electronic webinar for the proposed rule will be held before Administrative Law Judge Michele M. Stefanucci as follows:
To join through the internet, visit www.webex.com and click "Join a meeting."
Event Number: 179 226 5743
Password: Nov9-2PM
To join by phone only, dial: 1-518-549-0500
Access Code: 179 226 5743
Persons wishing to comment on the proposed rule will have the opportunity to make a statement at the public comment hearing webinars. Any person wishing to provide a public statement must register in advance of the hearings no later than 10:00 a.m. November 8, 2021.
Any person who wishes only to observe the webinars online must also register. Any person may listen to the hearings by phone without pre-registration.
To register electronically: Persons who will login to the hearings electronically must register. To register, visit http://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.
On the appropriate date and time of the hearing, 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., November 8, 2021. Please provide your first and last name, address, email address if any, and telephone number and reference the Part 218 public comment hearing.
On the day and time of the hearing, use the phone access phone number, (518) 549-0500, and the appropriate access code listed above to join the hearing.
All participants will be muted upon entry into the hearing. The ALJ will call each person who has requested to provide a statement to speak. The ALJ will continue the hearing until everyone wishing to speak has been heard or other reasonable arrangements have been made to include their comments in the record. Reasonable time limits may be set for each speaker 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 below. The hearings will be recorded for inclusion in the record.
The Department will provide interpreter services for hearing impaired persons, and language interpreter services for individuals with difficulty understanding or reading English, at no charge upon written request submitted no later than October 19, 2021. The written request must be addressed to ALJ Michele M. Stefanucci, NYS DEC Office of Hearings and Mediation Services, 625 Broadway, 1st Floor, Albany, NY 12233-1550 or emailed to ALJ Stefanucci at ohms@dec.ny.gov.
