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Resident asks Town of Babylon to extend moratorium on battery storage near homes
Summary
A Deer Park resident urged the Town of Babylon to impose a one-year moratorium on siting lithium-ion battery energy storage systems in residential areas, submitting industry reports and local fire district correspondence at the March 26 meeting.
A Deer Park resident told the Town of Babylon Town Board on March 26 that lithium-ion battery energy storage systems present safety risks and urged the board to impose a one-year moratorium in the town when the current moratorium expires.
Tammy Palmeri, of 34 Liberty Street in Deer Park, asked the board to extend the town’s moratorium on battery energy storage systems (BESS) so the industry’s safety guidance can advance. “It is not safe to place BESS in residential areas near homes, schools, and businesses,” Palmeri said, and she submitted several documents for the record, including a six-year audit by Clean Energy Associates, citations to Underwriters Laboratories research, an article from Recharge News and a letter of opposition from the Somers Fire District in Westchester County.
Palmeri said the audit she submitted found manufacturing defects in more than 25% of grid battery storage systems she reviewed and warned that thermal runaway remains a significant risk; she also cited ongoing Underwriters Laboratories work on safety guidance and toxic-smoke characterization. A board member observed that the town’s current moratorium runs “through July” according to the meeting exchange.
Palmeri asked the town to adopt a one-year moratorium after the current town moratorium expires to allow industry safety standards to mature and to give local fire and emergency officials time to review risks and response plans. The board accepted her materials for the record; no formal action to extend the moratorium was taken at the March 26 meeting.
What the record shows: the speaker presented industry and fire-district materials and asked the board for a policy response. The transcript records no board vote or resolution on BESS at this meeting.
