The following statement is from the New York League of Conservation Voters, Long Island Progressive Coalition, Sierra Club Long Island Group, All Our Energy, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, and Renewable Energy Long Island.
We are deeply disappointed and concerned that the Southampton Town Council voted to extend the moratorium on the development of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), which are a critical component of the state’s clean energy transition and are key to ensuring we have a grid that is as reliable as it is robust – and nowhere is that more important than on the East End of Long Island.
Elected officials have a duty to address residents’ concerns and consult the experts before proceeding with any major energy development in their jurisdiction – that was the purpose of the original six-month moratorium and subsequent six-month extension. A full year of community engagement and consultation, coupled with the work of the state’s fire safety working group, is more than enough time to address questions and implement the appropriate policies for siting.
The environment is the economy in Southampton, and elected officials are also duty-bound to consider the cost of inaction, which, in this case, is severe and will only grow exponentially with the continued reliance on fossil fuels and dirty peaker plants that wreak havoc on the environment and public health.
Six-months is prudent; eighteen months is clearly stonewalling. This harmful delay strategy puts at serious risk the clean energy benefits that would come from BESS projects.
We urge the Town Council to conclude their evaluation and assessments needed for siting and ensure there will be no more moratorium extensions. This type of continued delay is damaging to the renewable energy transition that is so desperately needed.