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STATE OF NEW YORKPUBLI C SERVI CE COMMI SSI ON

CASE 12- T- 0248 - Appl i cat i on of New Yor k St ate El ect r i c & GasCor por at i on f or a Cer t i f i cat e of Envi r onment alCompat i bi l i t y and Publ i c Need f or t heConst r uct i on of t he "Col umbi a Count y

Tr ansmi ssi on Pr oj ect , " Appr oxi mat el y 11. 1 Mi l esof 115 Ki l ovol t Tr ansmi ssi on Li nes and r el at edf aci l i t i es i n t he Towns of Chat ham, Ghent , andSt ockpor t , i n Col umbi a Count y.

RULI NG GRANTI NG MOTI ON

( I ssued J anuar y 4, 2016)

ELI ZABETH LI EBSCHUTZ, Chi ef Admi ni st r at i ve Law J udge:On Oct ober 21, 2015, New Yor k St at e El ect r i c & Gas

Cor por at i on ( NYSEG) f i l ed a mot i on r equest i ng t hat t he

Commi ssi on hol d t hi s pr oceedi ng - - an Ar t i cl e VI I pr oceedi ng t o

consi der t he const r uct i on of 11. 1 mi l es of new 115 kV

t r ansmi ssi on l i ne t hr ough Col umbi a Count y - - i n abeyance,

pendi ng t he success or f ai l ur e of a pr oposed al t er nat i ve t o t he

or i gi nal pr oposal . The al t er nat i ve pr oposal , a 34. 5 kV

t r ansmi ssi on l i ne pr oj ect, i s f ul l y descr i bed i n a J oi nt

St i pul at i on f i l ed i n t hi s pr oceedi ng on J ul y 30, 2015, and

execut ed by NYSEG; Staf f of t he New Yor k St at e Depar t ment of

Publ i c Ser vi ce; t he New Yor k State Depart ment of Envi r onment al

Conservat i on; t he New Yor k St ate Depart ment of Agr i cul t ur e &

Market s; t he Town of Ghent ; Prot ect Ghent ; Col umbi a Land

Conser vancy, I nc. , and Mr . Benj ami n Swet t ( col l ect i vel y r ef er r ed

t o as t he St i pul at i ng Par t i es).Pur suant t he J oi nt St i pul at i on, shoul d NYSEG

successf ul l y and sat i sf act or i l y obt ai n f i nal gover nment al

appr oval necessar y t o const r uct t he al t er nat i ve l i ne ( i dent i f i ed

as "Per mi t t i ng Compl et i on" i n t he J oi nt St i pul at i on) , i t wi l l

wi t hdr aw t he Ar t i cl e VI I appl i cat i on whi ch i s t he subj ect of

t hi s pr oceedi ng ( J oi nt St i pul at i on, p. 13, 25) . However , i n

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t he event NYSEG det er mi nes t hat i t cannot sat i sf act or i l y obt ai n

such per mi t s ( i dent i f i ed i n t he J oi nt St i pul at i on as "Per mi t t i ng

Fai l ur e" ) , i t wi l l r equest t hat t he Commi ssi on r esume

consi derat i on of t he Art i cl e VI I appl i cat i on ( i d. ) . I n i t s

mot i on, NYSEG asser t s t hat al l t he St i pul at i ng Par t i es suppor t

t he mot i on t o hol d t hi s pr oceedi ng i n abeyance unt i l t he

per mi t t i ng i ssues are r esol ved and t hat gr ant i ng t he mot i on wi l l

save r esour ces by per mi t t i ng par t i es t o f ocus sol el y on t he

al t er nat i ve 34. 5 kV pr oposal . No par t y has f i l ed i n opposi t i on

t o t he mot i on.

By t he t er ms of t he J oi nt St i pul at i on, t he St i pul at i ng

Par t i es agr eed that t hi s proceedi ng shoul d be hel d i n abeyance

( J oi nt St i pul at i on, p. 13, 25) . Gi ven t hi s suppor t of t he

mot i on, t he appar ent l ack of any opposi t i on, and t he f act t hat

t he al t er nat i ve pr oposal r ef l ect s a pr omi si ng compr omi se bet ween

par t i es of di ver se i nt er est s, NYSEG' s mot i on t o hol d t hi s

pr oceedi ng i n abeyance i s gr ant ed. NYSEG shoul d be on not i ce

t hat , shoul d i t seek t o r esume t hi s pr oceedi ng, i t wi l l l i kel y

be requi r ed t o suppl ement , updat e or suppl ant i t s appl i cat i on

mat er i al s as necessary i n l i ght of t he passage of t i me t o

pr ovi de t he Commi ssi on wi t h an adequate r ecord f or deci si on.

( SI GNED) ELI ZABETH LI EBSCHUTZ