In the Trenches: New York Towns Ban Wind and Battery Projects as Texas Wine Country and California Cities Fight Back

A Week of Lines Drawn

The Town of Islip, New York, enacted an outright ban on large-scale battery energy storage facilities this week, capping two years of contentious local debate and marking one of the most decisive municipal actions against the technology in the state. Islip was far from alone: from the vineyards of central Texas to the suburbs of Southern California, at least ten distinct community opposition efforts advanced across seven states, spanning wind, solar, battery storage, and data center projects.

Wind Energy Pushback

New York's Finger Lakes region emerged as a flash point for wind energy opposition this week, with two separate projects drawing organized resistance. In the Town of Hector, a community known for its wineries, waterfalls, and rustic character, residents are pushing back against the proposed Azalea Wind project. Opponents say the turbines would damage the area's tourism-dependent economy, which relies on the scenic landscape drawing visitors to local wineries and natural attractions. Compounding residents' anxiety is the town's lack of land use laws, which they say leaves the community with few regulatory tools to shape or reject the proposal.

Roughly 150 miles to the southwest, a community group in the Allegany, Olean, and Portville area is organizing against the proposed Hemlock Hollow Wind Farm, developed by Liberty Renewables. Residents describe the project as a threat to their community and are calling on neighbors across three municipalities to take a unified stand against it. Specific concerns were not detailed publicly this week, but the group's rhetoric signals an escalating campaign.

In Wisconsin, the proposed Hub City Wind Project in Marathon County faces public opposition from local agricultural interests. Officers of the Marathon County Farmers Union chapter published an open letter arguing the project would fundamentally change the landscape they love, urging the state—which holds ultimate permitting authority—to take their concerns seriously.

Meanwhile, in Crittenden County, Arkansas, residents are attempting to put the question of wind turbines directly before voters. A group is seeking a ballot measure to oppose wind turbines in the county, reviving an issue that had appeared to quiet down in recent months. The effort represents a growing trend of opponents turning to direct democracy mechanisms to block energy development.

Battery Storage Battles

The Town of Islip on Long Island delivered the week's most definitive action against energy storage when it enacted a ban on large-scale battery energy storage system facilities. The ban culminates two years of debate in the town, which had grappled with the same safety and land-use questions that have dogged BESS proposals across the country. The decision effectively closes the door on utility-scale battery installations within town limits.

In contrast, the city of Chino, California, moved in the opposite direction. After its Planning Commission denied development plans for a controversial BESS facility over the summer—a project sited near a residential area—the city reversed course and approved the project. The reversal is likely to reignite opposition from residents who had celebrated the earlier denial as a victory.

Solar Siting and Mixed-Use Disputes

In Gillespie County, Texas—the heart of the state's Hill Country wine region—residents and county officials have formed a rare united front against a proposed solar farm and battery energy storage system. Opponents argue the project would disrupt the idyllic character of an area whose economy depends heavily on tourism and viticulture. The alignment of elected officials with grassroots opposition gives the effort significant political weight in a state that has generally welcomed renewable energy investment.

San Diego County Supervisors, however, sided with a developer over community objections, approving a controversial solar and battery storage project in the rural community of Boulevard. The board cited the project's contribution to county and state clean energy mandates, but Boulevard residents who had organized a sustained opposition campaign view the approval as a blow to local self-determination.

In Darlington County, South Carolina, a proposed nine-month moratorium on new solar and wind energy projects failed on a 5-3 vote of the County Council. The rejection of the moratorium means new projects can continue to move through the permitting process, a setback for residents who had hoped the pause would buy time to develop stronger local regulations.

Data Center Disputes

The expanding footprint of data centers—and the power plants proposed to serve them—drove opposition in two states this week. In West Covina, California, the City Council unanimously approved a resolution opposing large-scale data centers and battery energy storage systems on Tuesday, September 15. The rare moment of complete council unity underscored the depth of concern in the Southern California suburb about the industrial-scale facilities increasingly being proposed in residential-adjacent areas.

In Tonganoxie, Kansas, residents are organizing against a proposed power plant and data center complex. Community members cite concerns about air quality, impacts on livestock, and the facility's proximity to local schools. The opposition reflects a broadening pattern in which communities are pushing back not only on renewable energy installations but also on the fossil fuel and digital infrastructure being built alongside them.

What to Watch

• Crittenden County, Arkansas ballot measure: Watch for whether organizers gather enough signatures to place a wind turbine question before voters. The effort could set a precedent for direct-democracy approaches to energy siting in the region. (Source)
• Hub City Wind Project, Wisconsin: The project's fate now rests with state regulators, and the public comment period and state-level permitting decisions will be critical to watch in the coming weeks. (Source)
• Chino, California BESS reversal: Following the city's decision to overturn its Planning Commission's denial, opponents may pursue legal or political avenues to challenge the battery storage approval. (Source)

Patterns This Week

This week's stories reveal a recurring friction point: communities whose economies depend on scenic landscapes and tourism—from the Finger Lakes to Texas Hill Country—are among the most organized and vocal opponents of energy development. The concerns raised consistently center not on climate policy in the abstract but on tangible local impacts: visual blight, property values, agricultural disruption, and the perceived inadequacy of existing land-use frameworks. Notably, opposition is no longer confined to any single technology; wind, solar, battery storage, and data centers all faced resistance this week, sometimes from the same communities. The West Covina resolution bundling data centers and battery storage into a single opposition measure may signal a shift toward broader anti-industrial-infrastructure coalitions in suburban areas.