Dunkirk Mayor Explains Her Veto of Council's BESS Moratorium
10/8/2026 7:12:46 AM
By Greg Larson, News Director
Dunkirk Mayor Kate Wdowiasz says city lawmakers did not go through the proper channels when it presented a resolution for a six-month moratorium on approval of battery energy storage systems (BESS) in the city. The Common Council passed that measure on September 15th, but it was vetoed by Wdowiasz. The Mayor, who was a guest on WDOE's "Viewpoint" program on Wednesday, explained what lawmakers needed to do...
Wdowiasz: needed a letter from the City Planning Board
Wdowiasz says there are currently two local laws addressing the BESS moratorium, with a public hearing scheduled on October 20th, prior to the council's next meeting. Wdowiasz says one of them was submitted on her administration's behalf with input from the New York Conference of Mayors (NYCOM)...
Kate Wdowiasz: done with NYCOM input
The second version was introduced by members of the Common Council this week. Wdowaisz has concerns about some of the language in that one because it would "effectively terminate all [BESS] projects in the city." The GCI Lighthouse project is going through the full application process.
Click here to listen to the entire "Viewpoint" interview with Kate Wdowiasz.