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Goshen extends temporary moratorium on battery energy storage systems for six months
Summary
The Town Board voted to extend an existing temporary moratorium for six months to allow further study of zoning, land‑use, emergency response and public‑safety issues related to battery energy storage systems; the extension was presented as a Type II SEQRA action requiring no additional environmental review.
The Goshen Town Board on May 28 voted to extend a temporary moratorium on battery energy storage systems for an additional six months while staff and consultants continue reviewing zoning, land use, emergency response and public‑safety implications.
Town staff told the board the moratorium was adopted earlier in the year to allow time for the town to evaluate rapidly evolving developments and incidents in New York State. The board’s packet included materials from consultants and references to battery storage incidents elsewhere.
Alex Glad, speaking as an applicant representative on unrelated materials provided to the board, noted consultant testing from the Village of Warwick’s December 2025 fire found no air contaminants exceeding federal levels and no soil or groundwater contaminants attributable to that fire, but he said a root‑cause analysis is still pending.
The board’s proposed resolution would extend the moratorium by resolution under the authority of the town’s local law; staff said the extension is a Type II action under SEQRA and requires no additional environmental review. A motion to adopt the extension was moved, seconded and approved by roll call; council members and the supervisor recorded in the meeting minutes were recorded as in favor.
Board members discussed how the eventual comprehensive plan adoption could end the moratorium if it contains a finalized approach to battery energy storage zoning and permitting. No changes to the substantive scope of the town’s review were adopted at the meeting beyond the six‑month extension.
