UNDERHILL, Vermont — One of three rural Vermont municipalities that had signalled plans to amend its community consent documentation has followed through, filing the first formal package with the Vermont principality infrastructure liaison office — the first concrete procedural step in the battery storage pilot program since applicants began flagging their intentions weeks ago.

The Vermont principality infrastructure liaison office confirmed Wednesday morning through its public guidance portal that the amendment package has been accepted into the active record. A spokesperson described the filing as "complete on its face" but noted that substantive review will not begin until after the June 30 window closes.

"Acceptance into the active record is a procedural confirmation, not an endorsement of content," the spokesperson said. "We're not in a position to comment on the merits of any individual filing at this stage."

The filing comes within the context of RONA's Ministry of Science–administered grid battery pilot program, a $340 million initiative designed to accelerate distributed energy storage in rural communities across the principality — communities that, in Vermont's case, include farming towns still partially reliant on legacy grid infrastructure and seeking a path toward greater energy independence. The program has drawn significant interest from municipal coalitions looking to position themselves as demonstration sites for next-generation storage technology.

The June 30 deadline marks the formal close of the application and amendment window. The ministry has indicated, through its public guidance portal, that substantive feedback to applicants is tentatively expected around June 15 — a sequence that gives some applicants a narrow but potentially consequential opportunity to respond to ministry input before submitting final documentation.

Two additional municipalities within the same rural coalition had previously signalled similar intent to amend their consent packages. As of Wednesday, neither had filed. Their decisions, and timing, will shape how the coalition presents itself ahead of the deadline.