OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Supervisor Rich Lewis and members of the Town Board passed a moratorium on battery energy storage systems at the Board’s recent meeting.

PORTLAND — After fliers in the town of Portland began to circulate alluding to interest of a battery energy storage system in the town, the Portland Town Board moved quickly to make sure it had the time it needed to properly regulate such systems. A one-year moratorium on battery energy storage systems was enacted by the Portland Town Board at its latest meeting.

The moratorium, governed under the name Local Law No. 4, restricts all applications and proceedings for the construction of any battery energy storage system in the town of Portland. The law takes effect upon filing with the state of New York, and the moratorium lasts through Dec. 31, 2026.

A commercial battery energy storage system is defined in the law as “one or more devices, assembled together, capable of storing energy produced by a commercial wind or solar energy conversion system, in order to supply electrical energy at a future time.”

The law further states that it restricts any project “having an aggregate energy capacity greater than 600kWH or comprised of more than one storage battery technology in a room or enclosed area.”

Two residents spoke during a public hearing on the proposed law. One resident expressed concern after receiving a flier about a potential project in the town, and stated that several of his neighbors shared the same concern. The resident stated that the project could not be found online, and Supervisor Rich Lewis stated that he believes any plans for battery energy storage in the town have since been pulled.

Another resident stated his support for the local law to enact a moratorium on battery energy storage systems. The resident stated that he was impressed by a local law governing battery energy storage systems that was enacted in Clymer, where Joel Seachrist, the attorney of the town of Portland, also serves as the town attorney.

Seachrist urged the Town Board to require each individual container to have wide setbacks from each other to mitigate the concerns of a fire spreading from one container to another, as well as a large total area for each project.

Seachrist also recommended that the Town Board consider offering shorter setback requirements in exchange for aesthetically pleasing designs of the facility.

As stated in the local law, which the Town Board passed with no objections, “This moratorium will allow time for Town officials to review, clarify, amend, and update the Town’s regulations for commercial battery energy storage systems, particularly with regard to where such development may be located in the Town. Additionally, this moratorium will allow the Town to adopt such other regulations as may be necessary to promote and preserve the health, safety and welfare of the Town and its citizens.”

Also of note, a solar energy project in the town, under the direction of Solar Liberty, is in contact with Seachrist regarding decommissioning bonds and road use bonds in order to proceed in the permitting process.

“It’s still moving, but not as fast as they would like,” Lewis said.

Lewis also made the Town Board aware that an engineering study will be conducted to evaluate the possibility of the relocation of the town’s library, the Ahira Hall Memorial Library. The Brocton-Portland Development Corporation is covering the cost of the study, which is estimated at $3,600.

The Portland Highway Department urges residents to follow local laws that restrict on-street parking, as well as leaving snow on the road as driveways are plowed. The laws are in place to allow for the Highway Department to safely and effectively plow the roads of the town and the village.

The Highway Department also recently purchased a new truck, a 2026 Chevy 3500 HD Crew Cab, 4-wheel Drive, from Ed Shults Chevrolet for $49,607. The department anticipates two employees to willingly depart from their roles in the coming months. More information will be available once the vacancies are confirmed.

The Brocton-Portland Water Department has also recently purchased a new truck with funds available to the department. A new employee has also been hired to replace an outgoing water operator. The Brocton-Portland Water Department is currently operating under the license of Lewis, who also serves as Wastewater Treatment Supervisor in Brocton.

A series of budget transfers and modifications were approved by the Board, as advised by the town’s accountants at Bahgat and Laurito-Bahgat.