STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – The more you hear about battery energy storage system sites, the more worried you get.
And you realize how little we know about BESS sites. We already know that thanks to Mayor Eric Adams and his enablers in the City Council, these BESS sites can be built just about anywhere, with no thought given to contextual zoning or neighborhood concerns. They could build one on a vacant piece of land next to your house.
They could tear down an old home on your block and build a BESS site. And thanks to a lack of transparency and community engagement when it comes to planning and siting these facilities, you may not even know that a BESS site is coming until the builders start putting shovels in the ground. Or until you hear the persistent hum from the site or see the bright lights that illuminate the site at night.
Such is New York’s self-imposed need for green energy that zoning regulations have been thrown out the window to accommodate these industrial sites. We also know that the safety of these BESS sites has not been proven over time. Just the other week, a BESS site in California burned for five days and prompted evacuation orders.
Two BESS site fires in upstate Warwick, N.Y., smoldered for more than a week last year.
BESS site fires are very hard to bring under control, making them dangerous for firefighters and community residents alike. Which makes you wonder why Adams is so eager to have them built in residential neighborhoods. Here’s another thing:.
