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Trustee urges board to tighten battery storage rules after utility-site proposals
Summary
A trustee asked staff to return with stronger standards for battery storage facilities — including possible containment requirements — citing risk of toxic fires and nearby residential exposure; the board asked staff to consider next steps without debating off-agenda.
During board comments, a trustee raised safety concerns about recently approved ordinances governing large battery storage facilities and asked that staff return with potential ordinance amendments before applications proceed. The trustee said some large systems, in the event of thermal runaway or fire, are sometimes allowed to burn out rather than be extinguished with water because of toxicity and electrical hazards; he urged the village to require higher containment or engineered mitigation (for example, enclosed/halon-like systems used in some data centers) at sites near residential areas.
Other trustees cautioned against turning the comment into an off-agenda debate but supported staff review. Administrator Eric and staff were asked to explore technical mitigation measures and to present options that protect first responders and nearby residents while considering implications for developer proposals and Public Service Commission review processes.
