Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Energy Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning Board opposes waivers for commercial battery energy storage moratorium
Summary
Goshen Planning Board reviewed a town‑board introduced six‑month moratorium on commercial battery energy storage systems and voted to recommend the town not include waivers/exemptions for in‑process projects; members debated safety concerns, fire‑response implications and whether technology is essentially the same as EV/home batteries.
The Goshen Planning Board reviewed Introductory Local Law No. 9 of 2025, a town‑board introduced measure proposing a six‑month moratorium on commercial (Tier 2 and Tier 3) battery energy storage systems (BESS) while the town studies environmental, health and public‑safety impacts.
Planning staff said the town board referred the draft law to the Planning Board for comment. Members discussed whether the moratorium should exempt in‑process applications that have passed milestones such as conditional approvals. Several members urged caution and supported the moratorium because of recent high‑profile BESS fires and uncertainty about long‑duration thermal‑runaway incidents. Others argued the underlying battery cells are the same chemistry used in electric vehicles and many household systems and urged not to preemptively block conforming uses.
After debate, the Planning Board recorded a majority position opposing waivers or exemptions for commercial BESS projects under the proposed six‑month moratorium (vote reported as 4–2 against waivers). Board staff said they would work with counsel to draft a letter to the town board conveying the Planning Board’s recommendation and suggested edits (spelling/wording corrections were also noted for the local law). The local law remains under town‑board consideration; the Planning Board’s comments will be sent to the town board for its December meeting packet.
