Residents press Hempstead board for stronger battery storage rules as moratorium review continues

Multiple residents used the Feb. 10 public‑comment period to press the Hempstead Town Board for stronger oversight of battery energy storage systems (BESS).

Christina Kramer, president of Protect Our Coast, and other speakers said they discovered an active permit issued to a company for a facility in Island Park and said that the town's moratorium—intended to provide time for study—had been insufficient because permits appear to have been issued. Kramer called for three actions: an extension to prevent "hidden permits," protective ordinances with strict setbacks from homes and schools, and a positive declaration under environmental review procedures.

Nancy Fleming and other callers said they could not find documentation of the moratorium extension online and urged the board to publish and act on the research the town commissioned from consultants (Nelson Pope). The board responded that it had extended the moratorium at the prior meeting through August and that staff continued to review consultant reports and would act in residents' interests.

Board staff offered to receive contact information and share research materials; residents asked for more transparency and timetables. No new board action was taken at the Feb. 10 meeting; public speakers asked that the town either extend or convert its temporary protections into stronger ordinances.

Why this matters: Residents voiced public‑safety and transparency concerns about large‑scale battery facilities near homes and schools. The board's next procedural steps and the consultant reports will be central to whether new local restrictions are proposed.

Next procedural step: The board reiterated that an extension was already enacted at the prior meeting (reported as extending the moratorium through August) and that staff was reviewing consultant reports; residents requested the results be published and asked for more direct responses from the town.