Westford Board of Health Told It Can Shut Down Battery Storage Sites After They Open

WESTFORD — June 9, 2026 — Westford Board of Health hears urgent dual briefing on battery energy storage threat as new state permitting rules take effect. Michael Hugo, Director of Strategies and Government Relations for the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards, told the board at its June 9 meeting that boards of health hold unique statutory authority under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 111 to shut down a battery energy storage system facility even after it is built, connected to the grid, and operating — and that for facilities under 100 megawatt-hours, the board is the sole permitting authority with no state Energy Facilities Siting Board oversight. Hugo, who said he attended every session of three-week EFSB hearings in both Tewksbury and Oakham, described a proposed Tewksbury facility where prevailing winds would carry toxic smoke to a memory-care unit housing roughly 147 residents in approximately 67 seconds, and a Medway facility where 1,184 fans were installed within 80 feet of multimillion-dollar homes before a required sound test was completed. Jenny Raitt, Executive Director of the Northern Middlesex Council of Governments, separately briefed the board on NIMCOG's ongoing bylaw gap review, targeting a Planning Board hearing in August and a possible special town meeting in the fall. The board unanimously approved transient lodging permits for the Residence Inn by Marriott, Hampton Inn, and Samuel Fitch House Bed and Breakfast; re-elected Stephanie Granger as Chair and Megan Hughes as Vice Chair; elected Joanne as Secretary; and voted 5-0 to return to hybrid in-person meetings in October at 6 PM.