Gov. Kathy Hochul's green energy initiatives in New York are facing significant local resistance as towns like Duanesburg prohibit battery storage facilities. Critics express concerns over public safety, citing risks such as fire hazards and toxic emissions associated with the Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). Staten Island's borough president, Vito Fossella, emphasizes the necessity of a moratorium on such constructions. This opposition poses challenges to the state's ambitious goals under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 and achieving 100% zero-emission electricity by 2040.
"We called for - and still support - a moratorium on these [Battery Energy Storage System] facilities almost two years ago," said Vito Fossella, borough president of Staten Island.
Duanesburg officials said they decided on the ban, first reported by the Daily Gazette, because the town relies on volunteer firefighters and that part of the town lacks access to public water.
Critics have said they are not only a fire hazard, but could spark a blaze that takes longer to extinguish and would spew toxins into the air.
The BESS backlash is a blow to the state's plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 and achieve 100% zero-carbon emission electricity by 2040.
Collection
[
|
...
]