Town of Copake Town Hall
230 Mountain View Road
Copake, NY 12516
United States
Public comment hearings pursuant to 16 NYCRR part 1100 to hear and receive unsworn comments from the public will be held at before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) in-person at:
Town of Copake Town Hall
230 Mountain View Road
Copake, NY 12516
On following dates and times:
Wednesday, January 21, 2026, at 2:00 PM and 6:00 PM
Thursday, January 22, 2026, at 2:00 PM and 6:00 PM
In addition to the four in-person hearings, virtual public comment hearings are scheduled for 2:00 PM and 6:00 PM on Tuesday, January 27, 2026.
View information about how to register for and attend the virtual public comment hearings.
All persons, organizations, corporations, or government agencies who may be affected by the facility are invited to attend the hearings and comment on the application and the draft permit conditions. The hearings will continue until everyone wishing to speak has been heard or other reasonable arrangement has been made to include their comments in the record. 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 ensure that all interested persons have an opportunity to speak, the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) may limit the time available for oral comments to three (3) minutes per person. It is not necessary to repeat oral comments at each of the four hearing sessions. The ALJ will give priority to persons who have not spoken at a prior session to assure that all interested persons are heard. The public comment hearing will be transcribed for inclusion in the administrative record.
The hearing location is reasonably accessible to persons with a mobility impairment. Persons with disabilities requiring special accommodations should call the Department of Public Service’s Human Resource Management Office at (518) 473-9463 as soon as possible. TDD users may request a sign language interpreter by placing a call through the New York Relay Service at 711. Individuals with difficulty understanding or reading English are encouraged to call the Department at 800-342-3377 for free language assistance services.
In the event the in-person public comment hearing needs to be canceled, rescheduled, postponed, or conducted virtually, notification of any change will be available at the ORES website at https://dps.ny.gov/ores.
Matter 24-03041 - Application of HECATE ENERGY COLUMBIA COUNTY 1, LLC for a Major Renewable Energy Facility Siting Permit Pursuant to Article VIII of the New York State Public Service Law to Develop, Design, Construct, Operate, Maintain, and Decommission a 42-Megawatt (MW) Solar Energy Facility Located in the Town of COPAKE, COLUMBIA COUNTY.
Facility Description:
Applicant applied to the Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission (Office or ORES) for a permit pursuant to Public Service Law article VIII to construct and operate a 42-megawatt (MW) solar energy facility known as the Shepherd’s Run Solar Farm located in the Town of Copake, Columbia County. The facility would include, but is not limited to, photovoltaic (“PV”) solar arrays; inverters; security fencing; access roads; a substation; and a point of interconnection (“POI”) with the Craryville 115 kilovolt (kV) substation owned by New York State Electric and Gas Corporation (NYSEG). Applicant filed the application with the Office on December 23, 2024. A notice of complete application was issued on September 19, 2025 (see https://dps.ny.gov/ores-permit-applications, click on Project Permit Application Number 24-03041). ORES staff published draft permit conditions on November 18, 2025. The draft permit conditions may be accessed at https://dps.ny.gov/ores-permit-applications, click on Project Permit Application Number 24-03041.
ORES Staff Position:
On issuing the draft permit conditions, ORES staff takes the position that the proposed facility, together with the uniform and site-specific standards and conditions contained in the draft permit, would comply with applicable laws and regulations. ORES staff recommends that the Office elect not to apply, in whole or in part, any local law or ordinance that as applied to the facility is unreasonably burdensome in view of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act targets and the environmental benefits of the proposed facility.