Saturday, April 26, 2025
Island Park residents gathered at a Town of Hempstead board meeting on Feb. 25, at which the board voted to pass a one-year moratorium on a proposed 40-megawatt lithium Battery Energy Storage System slated to be installed at 4200 Industrial Place in the village.
The proposed facility is designed to store lithium-ion batteries that can help stabilize the energy grid, and reduce both reliance on fossil fuels and energy costs. But the technology comes with a history of dangerous incidents. Fires in similar facilities, including a catastrophic event in Moss Landing, California, in January have demonstrated that when the batteries fail, they can enter a “thermal runaway” state, burning uncontrollably for days and releasing toxic chemicals and heavy metals into the environment.
Former U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, a longtime firefighter, was a vocal opponent of battery storage facilities, citing the serious fire hazards. Most fire departments, he said at the meeting, are unprepared for lithium-ion battery fires, which can burn at extremely high temperatures and are notoriously difficult to extinguish.
“Being a 25-year member of the Island Park Fire Department, I will tell you that the Nassau County Fire Service is one of the premier fire services in this country, and their training is paramount,” D’Es-posito said. “But there are very few, if any, fire departments or districts in this country that are prepared to extinguish fires of this nature.”
In a letter to the Town Board, the county fire marshal’s office revoked a permit related to the storage system project, and council members were advised not to answer public questions due to potential litigation. They did, however, allow extensive public testimony from residents expressing concerns about the facility.
“These battery storage facilities are a direct and imminent threat to the expansion known as BESS,” said Island Park Mayor Michael McGinty at the meeting, echoing D’Esposito’s thoughts on the project. “This clear and present danger from the reckless proposed expansion without oversight, programmatic audit, transparency or substantive safety protocol measures represents an anathema to all of us. Our first responders, albeit volunteer firefighters, county and various local police services, are not trained nor equipped nor prepared for the possible toxicity inherent to the proposed storage facilities.”
Several speakers argued that a well-regulated BESS project could bolster grid resilience, reduce peak energy costs and generate local revenue and jobs. They stressed that renewable energy is essential for replacing outdated, polluting power plants, and that halting progress entirely could jeopardize future energy security.
“I think that there is a huge potential future for this if you take the challenge on and find a place where they can be done,” said George Povall, executive director of All Our Energy, an organization that advocates for renewable energy, environmental protection, and reducing plastic waste in New York state, particularly on Long Island. “Our organization would like to see good grid resiliency, renewable energy, and cleaner energy on our grid. This can lead to lower electric bills. Most of what I’m hearing here today is fear-mongering nonsense. Train the fire professionals.”
Merrick resident Fred Harrison urged local leaders to replace a blunt moratorium with a task force modeled on the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s battery storage system guidelines.
“Our town has made commendable strides in renewable energy, but we must now address the legitimate fears our community holds about these battery systems,” Harrison said. A former social studies teacher and Model United Nations adviser, he urged officials to adopt the NYSERDA guidelines rather than imposing a moratorium. “We need a task force — a forum where concerns can be discussed openly — to forge a sensible path forward instead of halting progress outright,” Harrison said.
Some residents said they were particularly alarmed by the facility’s location, less than a mile from Lincoln Orens Middle School and only a few hundred feet from homes and businesses. They raised concerns about evacuation challenges, exposure to toxic emissions, and long-term health impacts.
“As a longtime resident who cherishes the safety and tranquility of our neighborhood, I find myself overwhelmed with fear and uncertainty,” Island Park resident Deborah Dorenfast said. “When lithium-ion batteries fail, they can go into thermal runaway, releasing flammable and toxic gases that pose a serious explosion hazard. The thought of such a facility in our midst, where we raise our children and build our lives, is truly terrifying.”
The Island Park School District submitted a letter to the board opposing the project. Jack Vobis, president of the Board of Education, represented the district, and stressed that any energy project so close to educational institutions must include strict safeguards and transparent communication.
“Anyone that’s going to develop any kind of energy within that location, whether it’s made safe or where the training is better, the school district will be put at the bargaining table for developers and anyone else who’s going to build any type of plant or any type of energy source within Island Park,” Vobis said.
