Residents and legislators press county over West Hill Road solar project, battery-storage risks

Andrea Renshaw, a resident of 1231 North Hoffman who identified herself as representing Residents for Responsible Solar Energy, told the Chemung County Legislature she and “many townspeople oppose the planned 20 plus acre solar project on West Hill Road that includes a lithium ion battery storage.”

Renshaw said the project, proposed in the Town of Elmira, would clear more than 20 acres for panels and a tractor-trailer–sized lithium battery unit. “Lithium battery fires, although rare, do happen,” she said, and added that past fires in New York have prompted shelter-in-place orders or evacuations within about a one-mile radius of affected sites.

The potential evacuation zone named by Renshaw would include medical and school facilities and residential areas, she said: “Included in this radius is Erna Hospital, Ernie Davis Academy, Fassett School, Cohen School, Amira Correctional Facility, as well as hundreds of residents within the mile radius.” She also raised concerns about runoff and the project’s proximity to Heller Creek, Eldridge Lake, Newtown Creek and the Chemung River and urged protection for a nearby Elmira Water Board reservoir.

Chemung County Legislator John Buren urged countywide scrutiny of solar farm siting. Buren said the state’s push toward greater electrification by 2030 has produced an influx of developers and that several towns in the county have enacted moratoriums. He said commercial solar projects with battery storage generally last “20 to 30 years” and can change the “social, economic and environmental makeup of a community.”

Buren recommended stronger county planning board review, host-community agreements that could include funding for local emergency services, and better public notice for projects. “A lot of people don’t know this. The City of Elmira’s Fire Department is the hazmat unit for the whole county,” Buren said, arguing communities could ask developers to help fund hazmat capabilities.

Marty Margeison, a county legislator who said he was speaking in a dual capacity as president of the Elmira Water Board, said the water board sent a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and planning boards and requested interested-party status. “This project is 1,200 feet away from our reservoir,” Margeison said. “I don’t give a darn if it’s 1%. That’s drinking water and we’re responsible.” He said the board will press for engineering and contingency information about possible leakage from lithium batteries before accepting the project.

No formal motion or vote on the West Hill Road project was recorded during the meeting. Speakers noted the project is before the town planning board; Buren urged the county planning board to go further than standard referrals and to consider long-term, countywide impacts when advising towns.

County officials and staff were not recorded making technical findings at the meeting; several legislators urged additional public outreach, legal review and coordination with the county planning board and the Elmira Water Board before any local approvals proceed.

The proponents of the project were not present at the county meeting and no host-community agreement or specific mitigation measures were introduced to the Legislature during the session. The Town of Elmira planning board is scheduled to consider the project at an upcoming meeting, according to public comments at the Legislature session.