The New York State Public Service Commission held an in-person public statement hearing Wednesday to take comments on an energy project related to Micron.
The project in question is National Grid’s application to construct, own, and operate 345-kilovolt underground transmission service laterals between its existing Clay Substation and four proposed Micron Technology fabs in Clay. The service laterals could measure over two miles long and would be constructed under some public land including Clay's Caughdenoy Road that leads to Micron.
National Grid spokesperson Jared Paventi said the public comment meeting is just one part of the project's process.
"Our plan that we've presented as the way to bring energy from our Clay substation to Micron, but the meeting itself is for the state Department of Public Service," Paventi said.
Judge Erika Bergen is handling the case and oversaw proceedings at the Clay town hall. Four people spoke, offering concerns over project costs, health concerns and environmental impacts. One of the speakers, Thomas Law, said he's not necessarily against the project but wants to make sure the potential health and environmental impacts are properly studied.
"This is a big unknown, and I'm not saying that this poo-poos the whole plant, I'm just saying you should know what you do and this is a public road and a private effort and it should be known what level of hazard and risk there is there," Law said.
Community members will be able to submit comments virtually until Dec. 31.
The comment period for the energy project begins as local officials provide an update on Micron's build schedule. In a county budget hearing Onondaga County Director of Economic Development Bob Petrovich told county legislators a groundbreaking would likely be next November 2025 following environmental reviews.
"Our expectation is that we will have a draft EIS for our review sometime in mid-December and then the further expectation is there will be a public comment period for that and ultimately, as we understand it at this time, there will be a groundbreaking and start of construction in earnest, on or around November first," Petrovich said.
Micron had initially planned to start construction this past June.
