Linn County planners debate draft battery energy storage rules, direct staff to revise several provisions

Linn County Planning Commissioners undertook a line‑by‑line review of a draft ordinance proposing regulations for battery energy storage systems (BESS), focusing on tier definitions, allowed zoning districts, permitting timeframes, decommissioning and public-safety provisions.

The discussion began when a commissioner introduced the draft and asked the group to resume at section 24‑501 and later moved through several sections (24‑509, 24‑507, 24‑510 and related items). The commission reviewed tier thresholds proposed in the draft: Tier 1 (under 81 kilowatts), Tier 2 (81–600 kilowatts) and Tier 3 (above 600 kilowatts). A staff speaker explained the research basis for treating multi‑unit battery installations as a single system when aggregate output falls within a tier.

Commissioners debated which zoning districts should allow Tier 2 systems and concluded, by consensus during the meeting, to remove "Countryside" from the list of districts eligible for Tier 2 facilities. A commissioner summarized that most past countryside parcels are less than 10 acres and therefore not suitable for larger Tier 2 installations; several commissioners expressed…