At the Blendon Township Board meeting this past Monday night, a moratorium on battery energy storage system (BESS) applications was up for discussion.

During public comment, local resident Bev Horinga encouraged board members to pause, reevaluate, and make sure to get things right before decisions are complete. “A pause is not unreasonable,” Horinga said. “It is responsible leadership. Because once these facilities are built, the burden does not disappear. The township and the community live with the consequences for decades."

But a pause wasn’t what was advised by Township Attorney Ron Redick, at least not now. Township Supervisor Don Vander Kuyl shared that, according to Redick, this was not the time to call a moratorium. Redick also had advised the board against joining a lawsuit that involved BESS—which, Vander Kuyl added, had turned out to be a "loser” and would have cost the township $50,000.

Appearing satisfied that Redick's recommendation against a moratorium left nothing more to be said, Vander Kuyl moved on to the next agenda item. But Trustee Trisha Henderson interjected, asking the obvious question: Why wouldn’t a moratorium work? Vander Kuyl responded that since Redick’s letter to the board was confidential, he couldn’t say anymore in an open meeting.

Similar to Henderson, Trustee Steve O’Connell also didn't appear ready to move away from the discussion, expressing surprise that Redick's letter was confidential. It was at that point that Clerk Robin Overway gave a recap of the thoughts around the moratorium without revealing the contents of Redick’s response.

Overway explained that if the Township were to enact a moratorium, it would force the applicant, KCE, to go to the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) for approval. Since the board members had decided they want to be able to dictate stricter guidelines than the MPSC in order to—as they understand it—have more control, a moratorium for BESS applications would not be in the Township’s best interest.

Though not in favor of a BESS moratorium, the board did show interest in exploring a moratorium for data centers, since there currently are no ordinances addressing them. The topic will be sent to the Planning Commission for further discussion.

With the bypassing of the moratorium and lawsuit options, the pressure increases for strong and thorough ordinances that will safeguard the Blendon Township community, and surrounding districts, now and into the future.