New Castle Weighs Six-Month Moratorium on Battery Storage Facilities
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The Town of New Castle is the latest municipality to consider invoking a moratorium against the development of battery energy storage systems (BESS) and large-scale solar projects.
Officials voted Tuesday evening to set a public hearing on a moratorium for Jan. 14, with the possibility of approving a six-month pause while the town weighs parameters to regulate the systems.
Supervisor Victoria Tipp said there has been an aggressive push to develop the systems because of New York State’s goals of having at least 70 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030 and 100 percent a decade later. As a result, it’s up to local communities to protect the public from potential disasters because of reports of fires that have been ignited by these facilities.
“These are highly dangerous battery storage systems and so we just want to make sure that we have all the protections in place and we have all the information we need to make these decisions,” said Tipp. “They’re highly flammable and there are impacts on surrounding properties in many respects. So I think this is a good move; I think it’s proactive.”
Building Inspector Tom DePole said his office has been keeping a close eye on how neighboring municipalities have been handling the same issue. He reminded the Town Board that in most instances the systems that have been developed will be in operation for about 25 years.
“So it’s hard to turn back once you’ve put something in play,” DePole said. “So, we’d be asking to have the time to accurately establish some criteria, to do our due diligence to make sure we’re benefitting the town, maybe form a committee, if the board so chose, to evaluate more of this and just give a six-month pause to go through this.”
While New Castle will compare the regulations that other communities are adopting, the town will take the time to tailor its guidelines to suit its needs.
“I think our first step is to come together with a draft that we feel is strong enough and addresses many of our issues, if not all,” said town Director of Planning Sabrina Charney Hull.
The town would also want to steer away from areas that have wetlands and steep slopes, she added.
Councilwoman Ally Chemtob said she has been monitoring what other communities in the area have been doing. The concerns go beyond the risk of fire.
“I’m concerned about contamination, I’m concerned about what happens in a case of an emergency, I’m concerned about our residents. Where would we put one of these if we were to put one?” Chemtob said. “So, I’m in full favor of a moratorium and possibly extending beyond that. So I’m glad we’re taking the time to look into this.”
Town Attorney Lino Sciarretta said during the nearly two months until the hearing on the moratorium convenes, the town can start putting together a draft of the law it is considering. Other boards, such as the Sustainability Advisory Committee, could also weigh in on the legislation. New Castle will also have to make referrals to its own Planning Board as well as the Westchester County Planning Department.
Other towns in the area that have enacted a moratorium include Carmel, Mount Kisco and Mount Pleasant.
Mt. Pleasant Hardship Request
The Mount Pleasant Town Board will hold a hearing next Tuesday on a hardship request from an applicant that has been delayed in its review of a BESS system because of the town’s recently approved BESS moratorium.
The board will entertain a request from New Leaf Energy, which has proposed a battery energy system for the property at 115 Wall St. in Valhalla.
Earlier this fall, the Town Board approved a moratorium placing a six-month break on considering new applications for the facilities until it can study its regulations and zoning.
Mount Pleasant has already approved two BESS systems in town.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
