Newcomb passes BESS moratorium

NEWCOMB | On Tuesday, July 14, the Town of Newcomb took a proactive approach to an issue that has begun to spring up not just in the Adirondack Park, but statewide. At a public hearing, Local Law #1 of 2026 was adopted, which established a twelve-month moratorium on Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in the municipality. Within that year's time frame, review and approval of applications and permits for commercial/industrial BESS is prohibited. "We are doing this moratorium so we can carefully study BESS," shared Newcomb Town Supervisor Mary Lamphear. "We need to be responsible and protect the health, safety and welfare of our residents." Though Lamphear said that the Town has not yet been approached and there is no potential plan for a BESS, it seemed wise to get ahead of the curve. The assembly of a formal BESS committee is currently underway, and will include representatives from the Town Board, members of the volunteer fire department, the zoning officer, and a handful of residents who will be charged with gathering information and leading an educated discussion. "We are just in the beginning stage of forming this committee; when we do form it, it will be officially announced, as well as how often the committee will meet and when their meetings will be," Lamphear assured. "We want to be transparent with all discussions- a moratorium is not for support or opposition; it's just responsible planning." Newcomb joins a handful of other towns in Essex County like Ticonderoga, Jay, and Essex in putting a legal pause on BESS and taking time to study and examine all of the facts and data before saying 'yes' or 'no' to the controversial technology. This past March, St. Armand adopted its one-year BESS moratorium and, on May 19, introduced and advanced Local Law #4 of 2026, prohibiting BESS facilities within the Town. "Every town is different; I know many towns are split," Lamphear acknowledged. "I feel that there is new information and new BESS technology; it is always evolving. I feel that we as municipalities need to be responsible for the safety of our communities and our forestry and emergency responses, all of those, and to really understand what we want to allow or not allow." At the Newcomb Public hearing on the 14th, residents expressed views in favor of the moratorium, voicing their concerns over safety and potential fires, which lithium BESS systems carry a known risk of. "The moratorium gives us a time to carefully review our local laws and really gather more information, hear from the residents, consult experts, and make sure that we are protecting public safety," Lamphear assured. "It is quite surprising that other municipalities across the state are also doing moratoriums; it is not just the Adirondack Park." Statewide, Lewis County, St. Lawrence County, Erie, and Onondaga County have multiple towns within active moratoriums in place, as well as a smattering of other municipalities that have also found it wise to pause any potential BESS action. "I think there are other environmental concerns that really need to be looked at, and that is where the moratorium will be to the benefit of this community to really look into this and the different issues that are out there," Lamphear reflected. As the committee formation progresses, Lamphear advises residents to visit www.newcombny.gov to find out when BESS meetings will be held, as they will be posted to the calendar. Announcements will occur at town board meetings on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m., held at the Community Center.

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Newcomb passes BESS moratorium

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