Oakham BEST Committee Clears Path to Town Counsel, Sends Letters to Federal and State Officials

OAKHAM -- October 2, 2025, Oakham's BEST Committee made procedural and strategic moves Thursday ahead of an October 16 Energy Facilities Siting Board public comment hearing on a proposed battery energy storage project. The five-member committee, formed by the Board of Selectmen to coordinate the town's response, unanimously approved its September 24 minutes and confirmed that letters urging support had been sent to U.S. Senators Markey and Warren, Congressman McGovern, State Senator Rausch, and State Representative Berthiaume, signed by two of three selectmen, with the third recused. A $75,000 legal appropriation covering work by town counsel firm Kopelman and Page goes before a Special Town Meeting on October 6, with members cautioning the process could require additional funds in future fiscal years. The committee reviewed a draft town-wide notice and aligned on holding its acoustical and potential environmental consultants in reserve for the more focused evidentiary hearing phase, for which the intervener filing deadline is October 30. The committee's next meeting is set for Wednesday, October 8, at 6:30 p.m.