Oakham MA – June 2026 News
Oakham has become a flashpoint for the tension between state-level green energy mandates and local municipal control.
EFSB Approval and Town Response
In a unanimous 9-0 vote, the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB) approved a zoning exemption for a 180-megawatt battery storage facility on Coldbrook Road. The “So What?”: This decision represents a total loss of local home rule. Despite the town spending $150,000 on legal fees to block the project, state regulators pushed it through. Oakham has authorized another $75,000 to appeal this decision to the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC), arguing that the state is overriding rural safety for urban energy needs.
Public Safety Concerns
Residents remain vocal about the risk of “thermal runaway”—an uncontrollable self-heating cycle in lithium-ion batteries. Other cited fears include toxic emissions and noise pollution, which residents argue will permanently alter the character of their rural community.