Ohio Power Siting Board standard application process
Pre-application
Before filing a standard certificate application, the applicant may request a pre-application conference. The conference serves as an opportunity for clarification of the OPSB’s rules and regulations, identification of potential problems with the project and notification of possible requests for waivers or departures from the OPSB’s rules.
Public Informational Meeting
Prior to any formal filings, the applicant is required to hold a public informational meeting. This meeting provides an opportunity for public input and concerns to be gathered by the applicant to aid in preparing an application. This meeting, along with public notice, also serves to advise affected parties of the upcoming project.
The Application
After holding the public informational meeting, the application for the proposed facility is filed with the OPSB. The application must describe the anticipated impacts of the facility on the surrounding area.
Within 60 days of application receipt, the OPSB notifies the applicant as to whether or not the application complies with the statute sufficiently to continue with review of the application. If it does not, the application is found to be in noncompliance until the deficiencies are corrected. When the application is determined to be in compliance, it is served on local public officials in the area of the project and legal notices are published in local newspapers. Also during this period, interested parties have the opportunity to be recognized as interveners in the case.
Staff Report
The OPSB staff reviews the application and consults with other interested state and federal agencies. A staff report containing the staff’s findings and recommendations is made available prior to the start of the hearings. This staff report becomes a part of the evidence in each case, but the Board is not bound by the staff’s recommendations.
Contact the Ohio Power Siting Board:
180 East Broad Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215
1-866-270-6772
Stay informed about this case and get notified about the public hearing through one of the following:
Hearings
Local public and adjudicatory hearings are held by the OPSB. The hearings enable citizens, interest groups and governmental entities to present testimony. An administrative law judge, who is an attorney, presides over the hearings in the capacity of a judge. A court reporter records all proceedings and testimony. Following the hearings, the Board makes its ruling based on the case record.
Local Public Hearing
April 17, 2024 6 pm
Hicksville High School
958 E High St, Hicksville, OH 43526
This is a local public hearing, pursuant to R.C. 4906.08(C), where the Ohio Power Siting Board shall accept written or oral testimony from any person. For those individuals interested in testifying at the local public hearing, a sign-in sheet will be available at the venue and witnesses will be taken in the order in which they sign up to testify; testimony should be limited to five minutes in duration. If individuals wish to supplement their testimony with an exhibit for the Board’s consideration, a copy of the document should be provided to the ALJ before the end of the local public hearing. The public hearing shall consist of two parts and will be conducted in-person. The second part is on May 6.
https://dis.puc.state.oh.us/ViewImage.aspx?CMID=A1001001A24A24B21535G02855
Evidentiary Hearing
May 6, 2024 10 am
Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (Commission), Hearing Room 11-C, 11th Floor
180 East Broad St, Columbus, OH 43215
This Ohio Power Siting Board public hearing is the second part, the first taking place on April 17, 2024. The purpose of the evidentiary hearing is for Applicant, Staff, and any intervenors to provide evidence regarding the application. To participate in the hearing, parties and observers should register at the lobby desk and proceed to the 11th floor.
https://dis.puc.state.oh.us/ViewImage.aspx?CMID=A1001001A24A24B21535G02855
Rehearing and Appeals
Once the Board issues its decision, parties may file for rehearing of the decision with the Board. Following the completion of the Board’s rehearing process, decisions made by the Board may be appealed to the Supreme Court of Ohio.