A Statement from Borough President Vito Fossella on San Diego Battery Facility Fire
Editor’s note: Readers may remember our coverage of Asm. Pirozzolo’s proposed legislation to disallow these battery storage sites near schools or in residential neighborhoods. Asm. Pirozzolo also weighed in about the City of Yes Initiative containing provisions for similar battery storage facilities all over the city. In light of this latest fire, this may be irresponsible.
BP Fossella:
It appears our concerns about the siting of battery energy storage systems on Staten Island have once again been harrowingly vindicated.
For over the past week, the large lithium battery storage facility in Otay Mesa, just outside San Diego, California, has been on fire. Firefighters have only managed to keep the flames from burning beyond the facility. Five million gallons of water haven’t been enough to put the fire out.
The compromised batteries have reportedly emitted harmful gases strong enough to prevent firefighters from effectively responding. Many residents and businesses have since been forced to evacuate due to the toxic emissions and threat of the fire.
The batteries in the Otay Mesa facility are the very same that would comprise the proposed facilities on Staten Island. In fact, the company that developed the Otay Mesa facility, LS Power, is already developing a similar large facility in Queens, within the former Ravenswood Generating Facility.
We have said, from day one, that these BESS facilities are unsafe for our residential neighborhoods. As the technology remains unproven, the threat of toxic emissions and fire remains very real. If the same fire were to happen here, we must assume the same.
The Otay Mesa facility is relatively remote. Just imagine if that facility was located in the heart of Castleton Corners, or Great Kills, or Charleston. A fire like the one that continues to burn in California would be catastrophic here.
This fire should be a wake-up call to the City that these facilities cannot be allowed in residential neighborhoods.
The risk to our residents and their homes is simply too extreme.
Banner Image: Fire. Image Credit – Maxim Tajer
The Office of the Borough President has a responsibility to advocate for the entire Borough of Staten Island and all its residents, and represents the Borough's interests within City government.
The Borough President communicates directly with the Mayor and the City Council to emphasize Staten Island’s budget priorities.
In addition, the Borough President is responsible for reviewing major land use decisions and proposing sites for city facilities within the Borough.
As the chair of the Borough Board, the Borough President leads Staten Island’s City Council delegation and Community Board chairs in the process of reviewing and approving the transfer of public properties to private use. The Borough President’s Office houses the Borough's Topographical Bureau, which maintains the borough’s official maps and assigns street addresses.
The Borough President monitors the delivery of city services on Staten Island, and acts as a liaison between residents and city agencies when problems arise to devise solutions. The Borough President is also responsible for appointing one member to the Panel for Educational Policy and one member to the City Planning Commission, as well as some 150 members to Staten Island’s three community boards.
There are no comments yet
Why not be the first