“This is a project that is industrial-scale, and not one I would want to be located so close to residential areas…I strongly urge the town to issue a positive declaration in the state environmental review process to ensure the project gets a hard look.” – Town of Ulster pressed for deep dive on Coleman High site battery plant plan (Daily Freeman)
It’s significant that County Executive Jen Metzger voiced in on the Terra-Gen project because she brings a rare combination of local authority and deep, statewide climate expertise. As a former New York State Senator and chair of the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee, Metzger was a key crafter of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) – New York’s landmark climate law that sets some of the most ambitious clean energy and emissions reduction targets in the nation. Her leadership helped shape the very policies driving energy development today. Now, as Ulster County Executive, she plays a critical role in ensuring that the local implementation of those policies reflects community priorities and environmental standards. Her involvement ensures that energy projects serve not just the state’s climate goals, but also the long-term interests of residents – protecting local ecosystems, promoting equity, and maximizing public benefit.
There is clear precedent for this kind of engagement in Ulster County. During his tenure as Ulster County Executive, Mike Hein stepped into a controversial proposal by GlidePath – the Lincoln Park Grid Support Center in the Town of Ulster. Initially designed as a natural gas–powered peaker plant, the project raised widespread concerns due to its fossil fuel reliance and proximity to residential neighborhoods.
Although county executives typically refrain from interfering in town-level land use decisions, Hein made it clear that the project warranted broader scrutiny. His involvement underscored that while counties should respect local autonomy, they also have a responsibility to act when broader public health or environmental impacts are at stake. Thanks in part to his leadership and sustained grassroots and environmental advocacy, GlidePath ultimately withdrew the fossil fuel elements and resubmitted a battery-only project at that time. Hein’s actions set an important example: county executives can and should weigh in when projects carry regional implications, especially when their leadership can help move development in a cleaner, more community-focused direction.
A positive declaration for Terra-Gen’s environmental review is crucial because it ensures we thoroughly examine what’s before us. If this proposal receives a positive declaration and moves into the scoping process, we are actively collaborating with experts, community leaders, and environmental planners to inform and strengthen our comments.
Should Terra-Gen decide to seek a new location for their large project, we will need a clear plan to help us envision how to engage with smaller, community-focused battery storage projects in Ulster County.
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RESOURCES
Ulster Town Board hears from opponents of proposed lithium-ion battery plant
Community Demands Transparency in Terra-Gen Battery Project Review in the Town of Ulster
From Fossil Fuels to Clean Energy: The Lithium-ion Battery Project in the Town of Ulster
We all cherish health and safety for ourselves, loved ones and our neighbors and hopefully the world including nature. If we are to embrace the convenience of cell phone and internet and our throw away society and solar and other renewable charging stations shouldn’t each of us accept some battery storage industries and landfills in our own back yards?