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Kenosha County board places temporary battery energy storage moratorium on first reading after public concern
Summary
Board members introduced a first-reading ordinance to place a temporary moratorium on permits and zoning approvals for battery energy storage systems while the county updates zoning rules, after a resident spoke against a planned Wheatland storage facility.
Chairman Nordigian opened the June 16 Kenosha County Board meeting where members introduced, on first reading, an ordinance to impose a temporary moratorium on building permits, conditional use permits and zoning approvals for battery energy storage systems.
The measure, presented by the Planning, Development & Extension Education Committee, would pause new approvals for battery energy storage systems until the county enacts an amended zoning ordinance intended to address siting, safety and health concerns. The ordinance was listed as a first reading; two readings are required before final action.
At the start of the meeting, resident Kathy Denko spoke during public comment against a planned battery storage facility in the Town of Wheatland, telling the board she opposed the project. Her remarks were noted in the record and preceded discussion of the ordinance’s first reading.
The ordinance text and potential safety standards were not debated to finality at the meeting; committee language introduced the moratorium as a temporary measure to ‘‘protect the public health, safety and welfare of Kenosha County residents.’’ No vote on final adoption occurred; the item remains at first reading and will return for further committee review and a second reading before any zoning approvals are restricted.
The moratorium proposal connects to ongoing planning and zoning work the county is conducting; the Planning, Development & Extension Education Committee will be the primary committee handling the next steps. The transcript did not specify a timeline for committee review or a target date for the second reading.
If the county adopts the moratorium at a later meeting, it would temporarily halt local permitting for battery energy storage systems countywide until the amended zoning ordinance is enacted. The county’s authority to regulate siting and safety is exercised through zoning and permitting processes; the ordinance text on file frames the pause as a zoning safeguard, not as a permanent prohibition.
