Although electric transmission infrastructure is a common part of the regional landscape, public service law typically requires consideration of the visual impact associated with new, expanded or rebuilt projects and substations. At Saratoga Associates we collaborate with public utilities, engineering firms, environmental service professionals, and other technical consultants to provide objective visual impact assessment for regulatory compliance. This typically includes Identification of visually sensitive resources, zone of visibility (viewshed) mapping, confirmatory field work, high-resolution photographic simulations, alternatives analysis, and mitigation planning.

Saratoga Associates has conducted numerous VIAs that comply with the requirements of NYS Public Service law (PSL) Article VII and Article X and the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). We also provide written and in-person expert witness testimony in support of our visual impact assessment findings before local planning boards and the NYS Department of Public Service.