Resident praises town moratorium on large lithium‑ion battery storage, urges insurance and testing safeguards

At the Town of Babylon meeting on Oct. 8, a resident praised the board's decision to extend a moratorium on large lithium‑ion battery energy storage systems and urged the board to require developers to carry liability coverage and fund pre‑ and post‑incident testing.

Tammy Palmeri of Deer Park told the board the battery chemistry is "inherently dangerous" and noted an insurer report identifying risks including design flaws and inadequate safety systems. She urged the board to require developers to provide insurance to cover hazmat cleanup and to fund wind‑modeling services, air and soil testing and remediation plans in case of a fire. "With the history of lithium‑battery fires here and around the world, worst‑case scenarios would have to be planned for," she said.

Palmeri also said volunteer fire departments were organizing a unified response and will convene later in the month to discuss preparedness. "Volunteer fire departments are coming together at the end of the month to form a united front regarding this issue," she said, and urged the board to maintain a cautious posture while safer systems are developed.

Palmeri supplied an international insurer report (QBE Insurance) to the board as part of her submission and asked whether New York State requires developers to carry liability insurance to cover hazmat cleanup; the speaker said she would like to see developers fund monitoring and remediation planning as a condition for siting battery systems in populated areas.