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Ulster County Legislature defeats resolution expressing concerns about battery energy storage systems
Summary
Legislature rejected Resolution No. 447, which would have formally expressed concerns about Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in the county. The vote followed a public hearing with three speakers and passed in committee but failed on the floor 7–12 with one abstention.
The Ulster County Legislature on Nov. 18 defeated Resolution No. 447, a measure "expressing concerns with the development, construction, and operation of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in Ulster County." The motion failed on a roll-call vote: AYES 7, NOES 12, with one abstention (Legislator Kovacs). The ayes listed in the record were Legislators Corcoran, Gina Hansut, Litts, Lopez, Kevin Roberts, Stewart and Walls.
The resolution followed a public hearing on Proposed Local Law No. 12 of 2025 (a separate county-local-notification measure for BESS) in which three residents were listed as speaking: Tim Kelly (Hurley) registered opposition, while Winnie Sokolowksi (Hurley) and Jillian Fried (Hurley) registered support for notification requirements. The clerk’s record shows the hearing opened at 7:06 PM and adjourned at 7:13 PM.
Supporters of the resolution framed it as a formal statement of concern about BESS siting and operation in the county; opponents said the measure was unnecessary or premature given ongoing regulatory review. The official meeting record lists the resolution under non-consent and shows the final vote tally on the floor.
Because the Legislature voted down the expression of concern, there was no formal legislative directive attached to the defeat. Local Law No. 12 — the separate notification proposal heard earlier in the evening — was the subject of the public hearing but is a distinct legislative item and was not itself acted on during the Nov. 18 session.
The Legislature’s minutes note the vote and the identities of the lawmakers recorded as supporting the resolution; the record does not include extended verbatim remarks by individual legislators on the floor. The public hearing record and the roll-call vote are scheduled to be part of the official minutes for Nov. 18.
