Battery storage, abortion laws in states, Nassau County mask ban

Finally, battery storage gets a win

In the face of increasing battery energy storage system moratoriums, clean energy and clean air advocates finally chalked up a win in my town [“Battery storage moratorium nixed,” Our Towns, Aug. 15]. Generating clean energy without being able to store it for use during peak times is wasteful.

Too many people confuse the fire risk of freestanding industrial storage units with cheap e-bikes using non-standard batteries and chargers. North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena’s fire concerns should be allayed by Gov. Kathy Hochul’s recent strengthening of battery storage fire codes.

What makes sense, as council members Robert Troiano and Mariann Dalimonte pointed out at the town hearing, is to have an action plan to develop a battery storage siting law.

Where better for such an action plan to be developed than the Office of Renewable Energy Siting, which already has the responsibility for solar and wind facilities?

— Jonathan C. Kummer, Port Washington

Town officials across Long Island are comparing apples to oranges when they reject battery storage systems. New York City may have had 268 lithium battery fires, but not one was related to a large-scale battery storage system. Non-standard batteries and mismatched charging plugs, along with storing e-bikes in homes, caused the problems.

New York just issued its new fire and safety codes for battery storage. First responders can readily be trained to respond to battery storage fires, which don’t produce toxic gas or tend to spread. The risks of battery energy storage systems are much lower than those of the energy facilities we live with now, which routinely cause air pollution, oil leaks and gas explosions that level homes or businesses.

Large-scale battery energy storage systems are an integral part of transforming to the clean energy future that is mandated by the state. Without them, we waste solar and offshore wind power. With them, we get reliable clean power and lower energy bills.

— Grace Mok, Jericho

States’ abortion laws are setting us back

I was so outraged to read how young women in Texas, Florida and other states who went to emergency rooms with early and life-threatening pregnancies were mistreated [“Complications untreated,” Nation, Aug. 13]. They were dismissed because of their states’ laws limiting abortions.

Doctors and hospitals do not want to lose their licenses and therefore end up doing harm by letting “nature take its course.” One woman’s fertility is now compromised.

To make matters worse, the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 aims to prevent medical schools from even teaching abortion methods as well as limiting access to birth control. This feels like a story happening before Roe v. Wade was decided, when women were dying from back-alley abortions.

We cannot go backward. There must be federal protection for the lives of girls and women to have a choice. Value all lives, including lives of women and children.

— Clare Brown, Huntington

Get a doctor’s note so we can slow crime

To those who are feeling insulted or otherwise put out by the mask ban, it might be worthwhile to focus on the point rather than on yourself “It’s surreal: Mask ban is obscene,” Letters, Aug. 16].

The idea is to cut down on crime by trying to foreclose anonymity. Maybe that’s worth the inconvenience of justifying mask-wearing or maybe it’s not — that’s the right calculus and is legitimately a matter of opinion.

But feeling insulted or put out for being asked to carry a note for the sake of the greater good of crime reduction? Try to get over it. It’s just not always about you. If I ever need to wear a mask for medical reasons, I will have no problem sticking a note in my wallet or bag.

— Drew Oringer, Syosset

As a concerned and patriotic citizen, I think it’s my civic duty to help enforce the law. I also think that my fellow citizens should help where they can. Since most of us today have cellphones with cameras, when we see a crime, we should take a picture or video and send it to the police.

So, we should start taking pictures of people wearing masks and send them to the police. Obviously, we shouldn’t try to make any arrests. These may be criminals who are armed and dangerous. A little old lady with a walker could be in costume.

— Randy Perlmutter, Oceanside