North Hempstead's town board fails to approve battery moratorium
Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena and members of the town board listen to comment during a Town of North Hempstead board meeting voting on a moratorium on battery storage systems on Tuesday in Manhasset. Credit: Dawn McCormick
The North Hempstead Town board failed to approve a one-year moratorium on large battery storage systems, becoming the first Long Island town to do so.
Supervisor Jennifer DeSena, a Democrat who caucuses with Republicans, had proposed the moratorium in July.
At a public hearing Tuesday, DeSena and fire officials said they wanted to delay the approval of battery storage sites until the state strengthens its fire codes. Fire officials have raised concern about the technology's safety. The batteries are powered by lithium-ion and can overheat and combust.
Environmentalists say the systems complement renewable energy sources — wind and solar — by storing the energy for future use. During a nearly two-hour public hearing Tuesday night, environmentalists accused the town of stonewalling an important clean energy initiative. State officials have proposed a major expansion of battery storage sites to help reduce dependency on fossil fuel plants.
"I’m disappointed that we couldn’t agree on a pause so that we could be conservative and proactive in the name of safety, for our firemen, and for the health of our residents," DeSena said after the vote.
The vote was 3-1, with two abstentions. A majority of four votes is required to approve legislation and town business.
Board members Edward Scott and Dennis Walsh, both Republicans, joined DeSena in supporting the moratorium. Democrat Robert Troiano opposed it. Democrats Christine Liu and Mariann Dalimonte abstained from the vote. Republican David Adhami was absent.
A growing number of Long Island municipalities have enacted moratoriums, including Southampton, Southold, Oyster Bay, Babylon and Huntington. Smithtown is weighing a similar moratorium. In Brookhaven, officials are welcoming the storage facilities. Supervisor Dan Panico, a Republican, has said there are no plans for a moratorium in Brookhaven.
Municipalities started weighing moratoriums after a fire broke out at an East Hampton battery plant in May 2023. It took 30 hours to contain the fire.
Hildur Palsdottir, a Port Washington resident and environmental activist, opposed the moratorium at Tuesday's hearing.
"There are technologies that are less dangerous to humanity, and all of life, than fossil fuels," Palsdottir said. "And those technologies are here."
Tyler Volk, a Port Washington resident and emeritus professor of biology and environmental studies at New York University, also opposed the moratorium.
"My sense is it’s kind of saying ‘no,’ rather than saying ‘yes,’ and that the town is open to new advances in technology, and clearly the direction the world is going," Volk said.
In July, state officials released proposals to update safety codes for large battery-storage systems.
The state is accepting public comment on the proposed changes through Sept. 24.
The town should wait to approve new storage sites until the changes have taken effect, said Michael Mennella, captain of the Nassau County Fire Marshal’s Hazardous Materials Response Division.
"The public comment on the proposal from the governor’s working group findings is still open," Mennella said during the hearing. "I don’t see how this is going to get wrapped up in a month, or two, or three, or six."
The North Hempstead Town board failed to approve a one-year moratorium on large battery storage systems, becoming the first Long Island town to do so.
Supervisor Jennifer DeSena, a Democrat who caucuses with Republicans, had proposed the moratorium in July.
At a public hearing Tuesday, DeSena and fire officials said they wanted to delay the approval of battery storage sites until the state strengthens its fire codes. Fire officials have raised concern about the technology's safety. The batteries are powered by lithium-ion and can overheat and combust.
Environmentalists say the systems complement renewable energy sources — wind and solar — by storing the energy for future use. During a nearly two-hour public hearing Tuesday night, environmentalists accused the town of stonewalling an important clean energy initiative. State officials have proposed a major expansion of battery storage sites to help reduce dependency on fossil fuel plants.
"I’m disappointed that we couldn’t agree on a pause so that we could be conservative and proactive in the name of safety, for our firemen, and for the health of our residents," DeSena said after the vote.
The vote was 3-1, with two abstentions. A majority of four votes is required to approve legislation and town business.
Board members Edward Scott and Dennis Walsh, both Republicans, joined DeSena in supporting the moratorium. Democrat Robert Troiano opposed it. Democrats Christine Liu and Mariann Dalimonte abstained from the vote. Republican David Adhami was absent.
A growing number of Long Island municipalities have enacted moratoriums, including Southampton, Southold, Oyster Bay, Babylon and Huntington. Smithtown is weighing a similar moratorium. In Brookhaven, officials are welcoming the storage facilities. Supervisor Dan Panico, a Republican, has said there are no plans for a moratorium in Brookhaven.
Municipalities started weighing moratoriums after a fire broke out at an East Hampton battery plant in May 2023. It took 30 hours to contain the fire.
Hildur Palsdottir, a Port Washington resident and environmental activist, opposed the moratorium at Tuesday's hearing.
"There are technologies that are less dangerous to humanity, and all of life, than fossil fuels," Palsdottir said. "And those technologies are here."
Tyler Volk, a Port Washington resident and emeritus professor of biology and environmental studies at New York University, also opposed the moratorium.
"My sense is it’s kind of saying ‘no,’ rather than saying ‘yes,’ and that the town is open to new advances in technology, and clearly the direction the world is going," Volk said.
In July, state officials released proposals to update safety codes for large battery-storage systems.
The state is accepting public comment on the proposed changes through Sept. 24.
The town should wait to approve new storage sites until the changes have taken effect, said Michael Mennella, captain of the Nassau County Fire Marshal’s Hazardous Materials Response Division.
"The public comment on the proposal from the governor’s working group findings is still open," Mennella said during the hearing. "I don’t see how this is going to get wrapped up in a month, or two, or three, or six."
Joshua Needelman covers the Town of North Hempstead for Newsday. A Long Island native and University of Maryland graduate, his work has appeared in publications including The New York Times and The Washington Post.
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