Previously Published in The Messenger
By Matt Meduri
One of the latest controversial topics is that of the relatively new Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Facilities. These stations are stocked with batteries, primarily made of lithium, that are designed to harness generated power for later use, either to relieve the grid during times of peak usage and/or outages.
BESS facilities are becoming more discussed as New York State intends to increase the stock of these stations across the state to relieve the grid. The Town of Islip, along with other Suffolk municipalities, has renewed multiple moratoriums on the construction of such facilities, citing health and environmental hazards in the event of a thermal runaway that leads to an explosion and fire. Local fire departments have been advising municipalities to maintain these moratoriums until these lithium fires can be extinguished. There is currently no way to douse these fires other than to let them burn. Lithium fires often take days or even weeks to burn out themselves, depending on the size of the fire.
Islip residents have been fighting against a proposal for a BESS facility on Rabro Drive in Hauppauge, just off the north service road of the Long Island Expressway, on the eastern end of the Hauppauge Industrial Complex, and within close proximity of residences, churches, and an elementary school.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) visited the Hauppauge Fire Department last month to stress that his department will maintain a stance of “cooperative federalism” on the matter, stressing local control of these facilities’ placements while guiding the EPA’s research and recommendations on them.
On Tuesday night, the Islip Town Council voted 5-0 to extend the moratorium for another twelve months, halting the Hauppauge proposal and the construction of any other facilities in the town.
But that vote was taken not before a public portion that lasted about two hours, during which residents pleaded the Town Council to extend the moratorium – with some even calling for the BESS facilities to be banned outright in Islip – while environmental consultants attempted to sway the Council in favor of lifting the moratorium to allow the proposal to continue.
For the Moratorium
The calls for the moratorium to be extended far outweighed the calls for it to be lifted. Parents, teachers, firefighters, and community members alike did not mince words in stating their disapproval.
“It’s been mentioned that with all the new technology, these facilities have a 98% safety rate. I think 2% is a big enough number considering the proximity to homes, businesses, places of work, and schools,” said John DiGiose, who lives a quarter-mile away from the proposed site in Hauppauge. “I’m in no way saying that these facilities aren’t in our future. I’m just saying that where we put them is germane to this conversation.
DiGiose added that the volunteer fire department cannot be asked to do a “selfless act for no compensation to go out and fight these inevitable fires.” He also said that while the issue is a “NIMBY” stance – “Not In My Backyard” – he said it’s an issue of the facility’s location.
Another resident spoke of the Hauppauge Industrial Park’s – the second largest industrial park in the nation – usage of flammable chemicals and discussed a “chain reaction” of explosions should the proposed BESS facility see a thermal runaway. Wooded areas nearby would cause the fire to spread quickly, while the fumes, vapors, and toxic gases could spread for “many miles” and pose health hazards.
“Due to the single-lane nature of Wheeler Road and Rabro Drive on the side adjacent to this proposed facility, there would be no way to safely evacuate the area,” said the resident. “The Long Island Expressway is an arterial road approximately a half-mile from the site. The impact from any fire or explosion would shut down the LIE indefinitely.”
A Rolling Wood Court resident said that “new technologies are great, but that Hauppauge should not be the guinea pig for such technologies.”
Brian Michels, a member of the Hauppauge Board of Education, spoke passionately in favor of the moratorium, stating that an explosion and release of toxic fumes would take place just one mile away from Bretton Woods Elementary School.
“How long would it take for that air to blow in their direction a mile away?” asked Michels. “How long would our children on the playground be able to smell those toxic fire fumes just a mile away? Would the buses get there to evacuate in time, or would the chemicals get there first? Would the buses be able to get there at all?”
“The only people who are here speaking in favor of it [lifting the moratorium] are industry people who are paid to be here,” said Michels.
Hauppauge Fire Commissioner Scott Munro invoked the recent BESS facility fire in East Hampton that caused “alarming” hazards, such as “contaminated drinking water, soil contamination, and a one-mile evacuation zone.”
“Notaly, the East Hampton facility was only 5 megawatts,” said Munro. “This proposed facility is 79 megawatts.”
Munro added that these battery fires can last up to days or weeks and even called for a zoning change to ban BESS facilities near residents and schools.
“Our 130-member volunteer fire department would face significant challenges in managing an event, including evacuating thousands of residents, students, and employees. Moreover, relying on mutual aid from surrounding fire departments has the potential to compromise response time and effectiveness with seconds to count.”
Others discussed the lack of need for such power with hydroelectric sources in Northport and Port Jefferson, while others questioned the gas lines that could cause a chain reaction of catastrophic explosions across the LIE corridor in the event of a fire at the proposed facility. Parents of children who attend Bretton Woods Elementary were the most vehement against it.
One resident feared shutdowns of the County Center and the Perry Duryea State Building off Veterans Highway (State Route 454), State Route 111, Nesconset Highway (State Route 347), the SCPD Fourth Precinct, Hauppauge High School, and Central Islip High School in the event of an emergency.
“Just one question of safety means we are against it,” said Hauppauge Superintendent Don Murphy.
“Instead of strengthening infrastructure in ways that protect people, this approach creates what I can only call the ‘big green machine’, a system designed to claim progress while jeopardizing the lives of our fire department, our volunteers who do not have to do what they do,” said Kelly Scott.
Against the Moratorium
Emily Dwyer, Director of Government and Community Affairs for Edgewise Energy, described herself as a “lifelong Suffolk County resident” who cares “deeply about the future of our grid.” She made the pitch for lifting the moratorium by reminding residents of the extended absence of power in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.
“We cannot afford to allow our grid to fall behind when we don’t need it to support increasing energy demands,” said Dwyer. “BESS is the kind of smart, forward-thinking infrastructure that Long Island and New York State needs to support a cleaner, more reliable grid.”
Dwyer continued by saying the facility would “reduce stress on the grid, cut emissions, and keep the lights on during peak demand or emergencies.” She added that the State recently updated its Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code to include “enforceable BESS regulations, among the strongest in the nation.”
“Independent third-party testing has also confirmed that there is no risk to public health beyond 100 feet [from a facility],” said Dwyer. “The proposed project is more than two football fields away from the nearest residence, over seven times the safe distance.”
Dwyer closed by teasing benefits to residents, such as more than $3 million in generated revenues for the Town and “tens of millions of dollars in wages and investment” in the Long Island economy.
Joseph Stallone spoke on behalf of the New York League of Conservation Voters (NYLCV), stating that BESS facilities are an “essential part of the transition from a fossil fuel economy.”
“With the urgent threat of climate change, as well as the region’s increasing energy demands, it’s crucial to build energy infrastructure that’s both resilient and reliable for our communities,” said Stallone.
Other proponents of the facility argued that there were “no deaths among the forty known battery storage fires worldwide,” and that cheap electricity is needed “now more than ever.” Others invoked “environmental justice.”
Jordan Christensen, of Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE), said that her organization is in favor of lifting the moratorium to “combat climate change” and “transitioning off of fossil fuels and towards renewable energy.” She added that CCE supported the initial moratoriums “with the understanding it would be to update the zoning codes and figure out how to properly site” the facilities.
“We don’t want to see a continued stall in this critical technology,” said Christensen. “With BESS, we have no emissions, we can have cleaner air, healthier communities, and more [grid] reliability.”
The Verdict
The Suffolk County Planning Commission had recommended a six-month moratorium, but a four-fifths vote from the Town Council was required to implement the twelve-month moratorium. Councilman Jim O’Connor (R-Great River) made a motion to adopt with a second from Supervisor Angie Carpenter (R-West Islip). The Board voted unanimously to impose the moratorium.
In a post-meeting interview, Hauppauge Fire Commissioner Scott Munro reacted to the positive news.
“We’re thrilled, but we’re looking for more,” Munro told The Messenger. “We’d really like to see some zoning regulations to make sure there’s a complete and full effort in keeping residents safe. A ban would be fantastic.”
Munro added that criteria, such as adequate buffer zones and firefighting technology, would make a BESS facility more palatable, but not to the point that it’s “on the shoulders” of the volunteer firefighters.
“These men and women are plumbers, electricians, businesspeople; they’re committed to the community/ They shouldn’t have to carry this weight for Long Island.”
Munro said the proponents of lifting the moratorium “more or less wanted to flood the room” with “paid” people to “push a specific agenda.”