How Priority Is Ranked

Every municipality gets a 0–100 priority score; the top ten carry the ★ Priority label and a spot in the Priority Municipalities list. Weights reflect impact:

Urgency, 30 pts. Is there a live chance to affect the code? Active moratoriums score highest (base 24), with bonuses as expiration approaches (+6 within 60 days, +4 within 180, +2 within a year) and +6 where a moratorium just lapsed or a permanent law is in open drafting. Adopted-but-restrictive codes score 10, bans 8, silent codes 6, healthy codes 2.

Restrictiveness, 25 pts. How bad is the current rule? Outright ban 25; moratorium on all BESS 22; large-scale-only moratorium 18; adopted-but-effectively-blocking code 16; silent code 8; healthy code 0.

Hosting Capacity, 20 pts. From the ConEd hosting-capacity map: High 20, Moderate 13, Low 5. NYSEG territory is scored 0 overall, it isn't on the ConEd map and sits outside the coalition's grid focus, so those municipalities are excluded from the ranking.

Population, 15 pts. 2020 Census bands: ≥100k = 15, 50–100k = 13, 25–50k = 11, 10–25k = 8, 5–10k = 5, <5k = 3. Bigger municipalities mean more residents served and more precedent value.

Receptivity, 10 pts. Party registration data is uneven at the municipal level (and nearly all of Westchester leans Democratic), so this uses more direct signals: an active BESS study/draft process (+4), a sustainability, climate, or conservation body to ally with (+3), and rules not yet locked in, silent or moratorium status, since shaping a code in motion is easier than reopening an adopted one (+3).

Each town card lists its rank and score under At a Glance. Scores are recomputed whenever the underlying data changes.

Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Policy Dashboard

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