Over 200 people convened this past Saturday on Zoom for the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Virtual Town Hall sponsored by the Southeast Queens Residents Environmental Justice Coalition and the Addisleigh Park Civic Organization. The event featured: Michael Scotland, Change.org BESS petitioner; New York State Assembly Member Jaime Williams, Sponsor of BESS Legislation in the New York State Assembly; New York State Senator Leroy Comrie, Co-Sponsor of BESS Legislation in the New York State Senate; Michael Mezzacappa, Attorney and Risk Management Expert; and Chris Alexander, Executive Director, New York State NAACP.
A Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) is a type of energy storage technology that uses a group of batteries (often lithium-ion) to store electrical energy for the grid.
According to Wikipedia: Battery storage can be used for short-term peak power demand and for ancillary services, such as providing operating reserve and frequency control to minimize the chance of power outages. They are often installed at or near other active or disused power stations and may share the same grid connection to reduce costs. Since battery storage plants require no fuel deliveries, they are more compact than generating stations and have no chimneys or large cooling systems. They can be rapidly installed and placed in urban areas near customer load.
The problem with BESS sites is that the risk of fire associated with them is very high, and when they catch fire they are left to burn out because they cannot be extinguished with water. The New York City Fire Department is not capable of distinguishing these fires.
One of the goals of the town hall was to share information about BESS technology and the proposed site at Linden Boulevard and 180th Street. Another goal was to rally support for the passage of state legislation A.6955/S.7197.
NineDot Energy is the developer of the site. According to their website (nine.energy): “We are the leading developer of community-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) in the New York City metropolitan area. With sites in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island as well as Westchester County and Long Island, NineDot Energy is helping to make our local power grid cleaner, more resilient, more equitable and less costly, supporting New York’s energy transition.”
Assembly Bill A6955A, sponsored by Assembly Member Jaime Williams, was introduced on March 18, 2025 and is currently in committee. The co-sponsors of the bill are Assembly Members Charles Fall, Marianne Buttenschon, William Colten, and Kalman Yeger.
Senate Bill S7197, also introduced on March 18, 2025, is sponsored by Joseph Addabbo Jr. (D) 15th Senate District, and co-sponsored by State Senator Leroy Comrie
Both bills relate to setback requirements relating to the siting of battery energy storage systems. According to the Senate/Assembly web site: The bill directs the department of public service to promulgate rules, regulations and model policies regarding setback requirements for the siting of battery energy storage systems; requires minimum setback requirements for commercial energy storage systems, with a capacity of five megawatts or greater, of no less than seven hundred fifty feet from residential property and no less than three hundred feet from residential property located in a city with a population of one million or more inhabitants; requires public hearings prior to the approval of an application for a permit for such systems.
During the town hall, each panelist had the opportunity to share their knowledge of Battery Energy Storage System technology.
Former New York State Assembly Member Bill Scarborough chaired the town hall and cautioned everyone to not view the matter through a racial injustice lens. Bill shared that neither the coalition nor the civic organization opposes BESS technology, but they oppose placing a BESS site so close to residences. The current plans indicate that the BESS site would be within 10 feet of a home in Addisleigh Park.
Michael Mezzacappa, an Attorney and Risk Management Expert whose practice includes catastrophic fire and explosion claims, shared that a company was trying to develop a BESS site where he lives in Briarcliff Manor, but he was successful at convincing the local government that this would not be safe because of the site’s proximity to the homes. Unfortunately, Mezzacappa added, he was unable to stop the development of a BESS site in Tarrytown, directly behind his office. During his presentation, Mezzacappa shared: “I’m just trying to educate people on the dangers of these things and that we really can’t be careful enough.”
Following Mr. Mezzacappa’s comments, former Assembly Member Scarborough played a clip from an October 28th City Council hearing at which Council Member Robert Holden asked the New York City Fire Department Chief: “How many fires have you put out in storage facilities?” The chief responded: “We haven’t put out any, and we don’t put out battery energy storage system fires. They are meant to consume themselves and burn.” To Council Member Holden’s follow-up question, “So you can’t put them out?” the fire chief responded, “We could, but I wouldn’t because by putting them out you could have an explosion…so we let them burn, that’s the policy that we have in the FDNY.”
New York State Assembly Member Jaime Williams (59th Assembly District) – the sponsor of the Assembly legislation – shared: “This bill again provides regulations and guidance for local government on sightings of battery energy storage systems. The overall purpose of this bill is to protect public safety and local interests by establishing clear minimum distances for large battery facilities from homes.” Further, Williams shared: “[The bill] requires a minimum setback distance in small municipalities – 750 feet away from any dwelling, house, farm, building, or school that is occupied or used. In large cities like New York City, Buffalo, with a population over a million, it’s 300 feet. We’re asking that these facilities be placed in industrial zones, not in mixed-use areas where there are residential properties or schools.” Finally, Williams spoke of a BESS fire in Chaumont County that was left to burn for over a week.
New York State Senator Comrie piggybacked on what Assembly Member Williams shared and added that: “The approval of applications for facilities would require public hearings ensuring their community voices are heard, and early notifications must be done for residents and officials.” The Senate bill is currently in the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee, chaired by State Senator Kevin Parker. Further, Senator Comrie expressed his disappointment with the Public Service Commission – as an oversight entity charged with protecting the interests of the public – and stated that it is not working on behalf of the public.
Chris Alexander, Executive Director, New York State Conference of the NAACP, provided context when he emphasized that we got here because of a problem. Alexander went on to share that in 2019 a significant piece of legislation was passed related to New York State’s climate goals, our climate resiliency, and our plans for moving forward. That legislation was then referred to NYSERDA to ensure we have a pathway for implementation and could meet the legislation’s goals. In 2023, we passed the first of the City of Yes bills – focused on carbon neutrality – which propelled the planning for BESS sites. Alexander went on to share: “We are not anti this project, we are anti the location or the siting of the project.” Finally, Alexander shared: “We are making a choice about what is necessary and helpful for our community, the community has to be engaged in that process, we have to be a part of that discussion.”
The final panelist to speak, Michael Scotland, provided a visual summary of what was discussed, before segueing into a summary of how the development of the site might negatively affect us – fire or no fire. Those impacts could include everything from increased insurance premiums to reduced property values. Scotland closed by outlining what we can do individually in order to have our voices heard, and encouraged one and all to sign the Change.org BESS petition that can be found at: https://www.change.org/p/protect-nyc-neighborhoods-against-bess-responsible-siting-true-community-input?source_location=search
A question-and-answer session followed the panelists’ presentations.