Hague board schedules public hearing on one-year moratorium for battery storage and data centers

The Town of Hague voted to schedule a public hearing on June 9, 2026, on a proposed local law that would impose a one-year moratorium on new battery energy storage systems (BESS) and data centers within the town.

Chair (meeting moderator) said the measure is intended to give the town time to study the issue and consider stricter local rules: "So that's kinda why I'm thinking we should just protect ourselves for the time being," the Chair said during discussion. Board members noted recent interest in such facilities in neighboring towns and raised public-safety and environmental concerns, including high water usage for cooling and documented cases of battery fires that can be difficult to extinguish.

Council member Smith and other board members discussed whether to broaden the moratorium to include data centers as well as BESS; adding data centers would increase legal and attorney costs but was included in the motion to schedule the hearing. The board and several residents emphasized that a moratorium provides a window to study technical risks and to consider either strict local restrictions or a ban, but the town attorney advised that outright prohibitions can invite litigation and that heavy regulatory guardrails are often a more defensible approach.

The board voted in favor of scheduling the hearing; members encouraged public education and said they will invite experts or allow public speakers at the hearing to explain technical risks and benefits. Remote participants separately asked that BESS and data centers be treated as distinct policy questions during public comment.