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Residents urge extended review of battery storage projects during Claverack public comment
Summary
Multiple residents urged extending the town's moratorium on battery energy storage systems, criticized a NYSERDA informational meeting as promotional and said the comp plan process should inform local policy on large energy projects.
During the public‑comment period on May 14, several residents urged the Town Board to extend or otherwise carefully review battery energy storage system (BESS) proposals while the town updates its comprehensive plan.
Jeff Kiplinger said he was surprised by a recent NYSERDA informational meeting and that "it almost seemed like a sales pitch," though he added that safety concerns had been sufficiently addressed for him. Stephen King, who is involved with the comp‑plan update, urged that the BESS moratorium be extended because the pending comp plan could provide legal grounding for local rules. Katy Cashen said survey responses indicated broad resident opposition to large solar and BESS projects and expressed surprise that a NYSERDA proposal involving Claverack had been in circulation since December 2024 without clear public notice.
Speakers asked the board not to authorize town resources or town property uses in support of such projects without full public discussion and emphasized that state classification of BESS (as public utility or not) could change enforcement authority in the future. Supervisor Clifford Weigelt responded that the board is holding off on action until it receives new information from the state.
The public comments tied the BESS discussion to the town’s ongoing comprehensive plan process, which survey respondents and some speakers said should guide future decisions about siting and local regulation of large energy facilities.
