North Hempstead will hold second vote on battery storage ban

The North Hempstead town board will reconsider a one-year moratorium on large battery storage systems in October, nearly two months after a similar vote failed.

In August, the board voted 3-1 on the resolution, with two abstentions. To pass a law in North Hempstead, a majority of four votes is required. North Hempstead became the first Long Island town to reject a proposal for a battery storage site.

Supervisor Jennifer DeSena, a Democrat who caucuses with Republicans, had introduced the resolution. DeSena, along with Republican council members Edward Scott and Dennis Walsh, voted to approve it. Democrat Robert Troiano voted no, while Democrats Christine Liu and Mariann Dalimonte abstained. Republican David Adhami was absent. 

"This matter is important enough to the safety and well-being of our volunteer firefighters and our residents that it deserves a hearing in front of a full town board," DeSena said in a statement.

Adhami said he would attend the hearing in October, but declined to say how he planned to vote.

The facilities, which are hailed by environmentalists, complement renewable energy sources like wind and solar by storing energy for future use. But fire officials want to delay the approval of such sites until the state strengthens its fire codes. The batteries are powered by lithium-ion and can overheat and combust. In May 2023, a fire broke out at an East Hampton plant. It took 30 hours to contain.

Environmentalists across Long Island have criticized town governments for imposing the bans.

"This is an example of the town acting from fear and ignorance and not acting responsibly," said Adrienne Esposito, executive director and co-founder of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment. "They're using the moratoriums as a de facto way of banning battery storage facilities, and there's no reason for it. ... We cannot transition to a clean energy society without battery storage. This is not a luxury item, this is a necessity."

Dalimonte said she abstained in August because she did not think DeSena had a plan in place to study the issue.

"When you put a moratorium in place, you need to have a task force or a committee set up to evaluate the town codes, to make sure the residents of the town of North Hempstead are protected by our codes when we lift the moratorium," she said.

Southampton, Southold, Oyster Bay, Babylon and Huntington towns have all instituted moratoriums on the facilities. Brookhaven officials say they are welcoming the facilities and do not plan to propose any bans.

In July, state officials released plans to update safety codes for large battery-storage systems. State officials are accepting public comment on the proposed changes through Tuesday.

By Joshua Needelman

joshua.needelman@newsday.com

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.