Blandford Energy Committee Agrees to Scrap Flawed Overlay Map, Align Bylaws With State Tiers

BLANDFORD — April 15, 2026 — Blandford's Energy Project Siting Committee agreed to abandon a flawed overlay map and align its draft energy bylaws with state tier definitions for solar and battery storage. The committee, meeting April 15, found that the overlay map produced by Pioneer Valley Planning Commission incorrectly excluded parcels from potential energy development based on owner mailing addresses rather than actual ground conditions, rendering it unusable for submission to the state Attorney General. Members reached informal consensus to adopt the state's own BESS tier breakpoints — tier one at less than 250 kilowatt hours, tier two at 250 kilowatt hours to less than 10 megawatt hours — noting that Blandford's current zoning sets an obsolete tier one battery ceiling of only 20 kilowatt hours. The chair, who recently visited Beacon Hill to raise the administrative burden energy siting is placing on Blandford's volunteer boards, said she plans to send a follow-up letter to state Senator Paul Mark and is pursuing grant funding to cover the costs of filing as an intervener in state Energy Facilities Siting Board proceedings. No formal votes were taken.