The Town of Johnstown held a public hearing Monday concerning potentially implementing a moratorium on battery storage systems and wind energy farms, as the town considers restricting certain aspects of both uses.

Town Supervisor Christina VanValkenburgh said currently the town has no moratorium on either battery storage or wind farms. According to meeting minutes, no one had public comment concerning the wind energy moratorium, but Mitch Quine with CS Energy had said he had no issue with the battery storage moratorium.

Quine, who according to the minutes is working with a land owner on Stoner Trail Road for energy storage, encouraged the board to work through the moratorium quickly.

“He knew that he was not opposing the going into moratorium,” VanValkenburgh said. “He just was giving us pointers or something to look at when we do write [the law]. He’s going to help submit some stuff in writing, so when we do write the law that we have his input as well, because battery energy storage is relatively new, and there’s some controversial parts of it.”

VanValkenburgh said part of the reason a moratorium would be put into effect is that there have been several fires in New York state. In 2023, there was a massive fire at a facility in Chaumont in Jefferson County that burned for days.

“We just want to make sure that we do that work correctly,” VanValkenburgh said.

The town supervisor said the moratorium on both uses would go for six months as the board does more research. She could not say whether the board would come to a point during that time period where they could write up both laws.

“We would be going in a moratorium for six months, I would like to say the six months,” she said. “But realistically, I’m not sure that the six months will happen. It just all depends. . . . Obviously we’re going to concentrate on one at a time, so it just all depends on what availability we can get people to meet at and how long it takes us to do the research and get the information we need to make sure that we have accurate information to write the law.”

VanValkenburgh said she understands there is a certain stigma surrounding moratoriums, but said implementing them is necessary to ensure residents aren’t adversely affected by either battery storage systems or wind energy.

“Moratorium kind of has a stigma that, ‘you can’t tell me what to do on my land,’ kind of thing,” she said. “I do believe that you should not be told what you can do on your lands. However, when there [are] concerns that affect your neighbors…you want to make sure that you have the right laws in place to make sure that they are the least amount affected.”

Clint Kenfield of Gloversville installs a new front porch on his Spring Street house Thursday.

Doing it yourself

Vice President JD Vance hosts an episode of “The Charlie Kirk Show” at the White House, following the assassination of the show’s namesake, Monday, in Washington.

Vice President JD Vance hosts an episode of "The Charlie Kirk Show" at the White House, following the assassination of the show's namesake, Monday, Sept., 15, 2025, in Washington.

Vice President JD Vance hosts an episode of "The Charlie Kirk Show" at the White House, following the assassination of the show's namesake, Monday, Sept., 15, 2025, in Washington.

Vice President JD Vance hosts an episode of "The Charlie Kirk Show" at the White House, following the assassination of the show's namesake, Monday, Sept., 15, 2025, in Washington.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President JD Vance said Monday while hosting Charlie Kirk’s radio show that he is “desperate” for national unity after the conservative political activist’s killing but that finding common ground with people who celebrated the assassination of his friend is impossible.

The Republican vice president filled in as host of “The Charlie Kirk Show” from his ceremonial office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House. The livestream of the two-hour program was broadcast in the White House press briefing room and featured a series of appearances by White House and administration officials who knew the 31-year-old Kirk.

Vance, who

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