To the Editor:

My name is Judy Abbott. I have lived in New Scotland for almost 30 years. I was very impressed by the level of public interest and participation at the town’s Oct. 7 planning board meeting and public hearing for the battery energy storage system (BESS) proposed for the hamlet of Feura Bush.

The public participation is a direct result of efforts our town representatives made to get public notice out for the meeting as part of the process dictated by our local law. I also appreciate the town planning board extending the public-hearing duration to offer residents as much time as possible to learn and provide their input. This is good government on public display.

I am a veteran environmental and public-health scientist and I care deeply about our entire community. Although I live about 1.5 miles from the proposed Feura Bush BESS, I reside adjacent to several locations where similar BESS projects could be sited (i.e., substations, a large solar-voltaic array, high-voltage power lines).

I also live adjacent to the CSX rail-line, where shipments of hazardous materials and loud trains pass our home on a daily basis. I have been actively involved in air-quality issues in our community because I want to protect the air that we all breathe. Do you ever smell chemicals from the industrial facilities in Feura Bush? Call Region 4 staff at the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation at 518-357-2045 to let our regulators know when the air smells bad.

As I indicated in my statement regarding the proposed BESS at the Oct. 7 public hearing, I am much less concerned about the potential environmental hazards posed by this proposal than I am about the inaccurate information being spread in our communities and on social media.

Additionally, I am concerned that some people may be using people’s fears and discomfort with new technologies to score political points. Disinformation poisons people’s judgement, sows distrust and confusion, and ultimately undermines progress and civic discourse.

Recently, I was “blocked” from the Feura Bush Neighbors Facebook page; my posts were focused on offering accurate information to other commenters expressing concerns about the project.

I have reviewed the application materials and am comfortable that our town planning board, with the assistance of our town’s engineering consultants, are reviewing this application thoroughly with public safety in clear focus.

I am really glad that our dedicated town board members had the foresight to get ahead of these types of projects with our comprehensive Local Law E that includes a requirement for a “Special Use Permit,” providing opportunity for public input. There is no need for a “moratorium” for BESS in the town of New Scotland.

Most people who participated in the town’s public hearing can get their concerns addressed in the application’s appendices N, O, and P, pertaining to the project’s “Hazard Mitigation Analysis,” “Draft Emergency Response Plan,” and “Fire Safety Compliance Plan,” respectively.

As a scientist, I am aware that any form of stored energy will pose some sort of hazard. Some hazards are easily mitigated to reduce risks; others require dedicated planning, practice, and execution to maintain safety. All fires contain hazardous chemicals — the goal is to minimize/prevent exposures.

While globally and nationally installed capacity of utility-scale BESS has increased, the news media has shown us some dramatic footage of fires on the news. A wide range of industry experts have studied incident failures and conducted “root cause analyses” for incidents incorporating lessons learned and hazard control practices from early failures into new designs and best practices. The result is a significant decrease in incidents and catastrophic failures of BESS.

In closing, I support this proposal and other well-sited BESS projects. I hope our town will require the applicant to provide our local emergency responders and all that may provide mutual aid with maximum-value BESS emergency response training (annually, including Incident Command System elements) as well as any necessary assets/resources so that our volunteers and professionals are prepared to safely respond. 

Judy Abbott

Unionville