Ulster County committee advances SEQRA lead‑agency status and easement for Key Capture battery project at Paradise Lane

Ulster County’s Energy, Environment & Sustainability Committee voted to declare the county’s intent to act as lead agency under the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) and authorized an easement with KCE NY5 LLC to advance permitting for a proposed battery energy storage system on county‑owned land at Paradise Lane.

The committee approved Resolution 297 (declaring county intent to act as lead agency) and Resolution 298 (authorizing the county chair to execute an easement with KCE NY5 LLC). Both resolutions passed in committee after voice votes and discussion; members recorded some oppositions and abstentions in the roll calls but the motions were approved by the committee.

Colin Loveless, a project representative for Key Capture Energy, described the project as a containerized battery energy storage system that would use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells and occupy a multi‑acre footprint on a parcel the company described as a brownfield. Loveless said the nearest residences are about 800 feet from the proposed array and the layout was chosen to avoid wetlands and to sit near an on/off ramp rather than the Thruway mainline. He also said the site’s brownfield status could yield a 10 percent investment‑tax‑credit adder that improves project economics.

“The single most important thing: lithium iron phosphate is a much more stable chemistry,” Loveless told the committee, citing safety as a central rationale for the technology choice.

Committee members pressed Key Capture on operational impacts and public safety. Legislator Stewart asked whether the project would create permanent local jobs; Loveless said most jobs would be during construction and that the site would be unmanned during normal operations. On labor, Loveless said the company expects to use local and union labor for construction.

Deputy Executive Laval and Director Doyle addressed emergency response and evacuation planning. County staff and Key Capture said project permitting will include a required emergency‑response plan developed collaboratively with local fire departments and first responders; speakers cited NFPA 855 fire‑code requirements and UL 954A large‑scale fire testing as part of the safety regime. Officials referenced an EPA guidance exclusion radius of roughly 330 feet for certain incidents; Key Capture representatives noted the likely evacuation impacts would be evaluated by incident commanders and through the emergency‑response plan.

Committee members also asked about project scale and long‑term management. Loveless said the typical design life is about 20 years and that decommissioning plans (including battery removal and recycling) are required under current fire codes and would be provided during permitting.

The committee voted to advance the county’s role in SEQRA and to authorize the easement to allow the project to proceed through discretionary review. The committee did not finalize a host‑community agreement; Loveless said such an agreement would be negotiated later in the process if the project proceeds.

What’s next: the SEQRA lead‑agency declaration and the easement allow permitting and environmental review to proceed; the project will return to county processes for discretionary approvals and any required public hearings.

Provenance: First presentation and Q&A: SEG 314–SEG 1204; Resolutions and committee votes: SEG 1219–SEG 1259.