The New York State Public Service Commission announced that the Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission (ORES) has released revised regulations for the environmental review, permitting, and siting of major renewable energy and electric transmission facilities under the Renewable Action through Project Interconnection and Deployment (RAPID) Act. The updated regulations are now open for a 45-day public comment period, with feedback due by December 8, 2025.
The initial draft of the RAPID Act regulations was released in December 2024. ORES held 20 in-person public comment hearings at 11 locations across New York State and two virtual hearings to gather input. In response to requests from local governments and stakeholders for more time, ORES extended the comment period during this process. Many changes in the revised regulations reflect suggestions from these comments as well as experience gained from ORES’s existing permitting work.
Commission Chair Rory M. Christian stated, “The revised RAPID Act regulations will enable ORES to refine its permitting practices and enable the development of new renewable generation and transmission projects that create new clean energy, strengthen grid reliability, and support new good-paying jobs. These regulations will be essential to the state’s need to integrate new, clean generation and replace our existing aging infrastructure to meet rising electric demand.”
ORES Executive Director Zeryai Hagos said, “We asked, and stakeholders delivered. The robust written and verbal feedback that we received challenged ORES to sharpen our approach. The enhanced permitting process isn’t just about speeding things up, it’s about getting projects right from the start. Through meaningful public engagement, strong environmental and community protections, all balanced through an efficient and transparent process, we will ensure the energy infrastructure we build in New York truly serves the public interest.”
After receiving over 2,000 public comments on both the proposed regulations and a draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement, ORES initiated rulemaking to substantially revise several provisions. Key updates include changes to pre-application procedures; alternative route scoping for major transmission facilities; processes for upgrades within existing rights-of-way; increased stakeholder engagement with local governments; replacement of “environmental justice” with “disadvantaged communities” per CLCPA requirements; and updated noise standards for both renewable energy and transmission facilities. The new rules are expected to reduce permit issuance times by up to half.
The RAPID Act was enacted in April 2024 to consolidate oversight of major renewable energy facility siting under ORES authority. It authorizes ORES—working with the Department of Public Service (DPS) staff arm of the Commission—to develop rules for implementing a streamlined siting permit program for major electric transmission projects.
Since 2021, New York State has approved 31 large-scale solar and wind projects representing a total capacity of 4.2 gigawatts of clean energy—27 permitted by ORES since its creation to accelerate renewables siting, while four were approved under previous Article 10 rules.
Public comments on the revised regulations can be submitted electronically via www.dps.ny.gov by searching case number “24-M-0433” or mailed directly to Hon. Michelle L. Phillips at the New York State Public Service Commission office in Albany.
