Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Speakers urge Babylon Town Board not to extend temporary battery storage moratorium
Summary
At a Dec. 17 public hearing, residents, developers and labor representatives urged the Town of Babylon not to extend a temporary moratorium on utility-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS), citing updated state fire codes, grid reliability and affordability concerns; the board closed the hearing and reserved decision.
The Town of Babylon held a public hearing Dec. 17 to consider extending a temporary moratorium on battery energy storage system (BESS) facilities. Dozens of residents, energy developers and labor and environmental groups urged the board not to extend the moratorium and instead adopt local zoning and safety rules that would allow BESS projects to proceed.
Nick Warilla, of Mineola, told the board BESS "plays a critical role in the modern electric grid," saying the technology stores energy when supply is abundant and delivers it during high demand. He cited a Long Island Energy Storage Summit and FDNY input, and said the state's updated fire-safety rules — which he said will take formal effect in 2026 — require…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
