Terms Used In New York Laws > Public Service > Article 10 - Siting of Major Electric Generating Facilities

• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
• Board: means the New York state board on electric generation siting and the environment, which shall be in the department and consist of seven persons: the chair of the department, who shall serve as chair of the board; the commissioner of environmental conservation; the commissioner of health; the chair of the New York state energy research and development authority; the commissioner of economic development and two ad hoc public members, both of whom shall reside within the municipality in which the facility is proposed to be located, except if such facility is proposed to be located within the city of New York, then all ad hoc members shall reside within the community district in which the facility is proposed to be located. See N.Y. Public Service Law 160
• Certificate: means a certificate of environmental compatibility and public need authorizing the construction of a major electric generating facility issued by the board pursuant to this article. See N.Y. Public Service Law 160
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Fuel waste byproduct: shall mean waste or combination of wastes produced as a byproduct of generating electricity from a major electric generating facility in an amount which requires storage or disposal and, because of its quantity, concentration, or physical, chemical or other characteristics, may pose a substantial present or potential hazard to human health or the environment. See N.Y. Public Service Law 160
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Local parties: shall mean persons residing in a community who may be affected by the proposed major electric generating facility who individually or collectively seek intervenor funding pursuant to sections one hundred sixty-three and one hundred sixty-four of this article. See N.Y. Public Service Law 160
• Major electric generating facility: means an electric generating facility with a nameplate generating capacity of twenty-five thousand kilowatts or more, including interconnection electric transmission lines and fuel gas transmission lines that are not subject to review under article seven of this chapter. See N.Y. Public Service Law 160
• Municipality: means a county, city, town or village located in this state. See N.Y. Public Service Law 160
• Nameplate: means a manufacturer's designation, generally as affixed to the generator unit, which states the total output of such generating facility as originally designed according to the manufacturer's original design specifications. See N.Y. Public Service Law 160
• Oral argument: An opportunity for lawyers to summarize their position before the court and also to answer the judges' questions.
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Person: means any individual, corporation, public benefit corporation, political subdivision, governmental agency, municipality, partnership, co-operative association, trust or estate. See N.Y. Public Service Law 160
• Presiding officer: A majority-party Senator who presides over the Senate and is charged with maintaining order and decorum, recognizing Members to speak, and interpreting the Senate's rules, practices and precedents.
• Public information coordinator: means an office created within the department which shall assist and advise interested parties and members of the public in participating in the siting and certification of major electric generating facilities. See N.Y. Public Service Law 160
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.