Photo: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images News / Getty Images
A public hearing on Micron's environmental impact report is taking place today (July 24) at Liverpool High School. The hearing, which is the only one scheduled, will run from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Attendees who wish to speak can register at the auditorium starting at 9:30 a.m. While there is no strict time limit for comments, speakers are encouraged to keep their remarks to three minutes or less.
The hearing will focus on the environmental impact of Micron's proposed semiconductor manufacturing facility in Clay, New York. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Commerce will conduct the hearing jointly. According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the project involves constructing a facility for producing dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) chips over a 20-year period at the White Pine Commerce Park site. The project also includes two connected actions by National Grid for a gas line extension and an electric substation expansion.
The draft environmental impact statement, which took nearly three years to complete, highlights the potential changes to Central New York's landscape, including effects on traffic, air quality, housing, and noise levels, as reported by Syracuse.com. The project requires authorization under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act due to its potential impact on federally regulated wetlands and streams.
The public hearing aims to gather feedback from the community, which will be considered in the final decision-making process. The Department of Commerce, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other agencies, will use the feedback to determine the least environmentally damaging practicable alternative for the project.