Letter to Carmel Supervisor Notes Forthcoming Legislation on Sound Siting, Safety of Future “Battery Farms” and Need for Including Local Stakeholders
New York State Senator Pete Harckham declared his “full support” for a moratorium on energy storage systems in the Town of Carmel in a letter sent today to Carmel Town Supervisor Michael Cazzari. Additionally, Harckham stated that he will be introducing new state legislation to ensure sound siting and storage system safety while also guaranteeing that all local stakeholders are included in the development process.
Harckham said his District Office has fielded numerous calls and emails over the past several weeks from constituents about the proposed “Union Energy Center” being developed by East Point Energy, a firm based in Charlottesville, Virgina, which will be sited on a 93.5-acre parcel of land off Miller Road in Mahopac, adjacent to the border of the Town of Somers, and include a 116-megawatt battery energy storage system, two substations and two enclosure pads.
Many of the calls to Harckham’s office are from Somers residents who have voiced concerns that they do not have any say in Carmel’s siting decision-making, hence the need for a more comprehensive approach in future energy storage system proposals.
In his letter to Cazzari, Harckham applauded the Carmel Town Board for planning to hold a public hearing on a possible moratorium next month. In April, Harckham sent a letter to the Town of Carmel Planning Board and asked that there be a “robust public engagement process” regarding a grid-scale energy storage system project in Mahopac.
“The Board has my full support in pursuing a temporary moratorium until it has had the opportunity to consider more comprehensive local regulations,” states Harckham. “I appreciate and respect the independence of the Town of Carmel as it relates to land use matters. The proximity of the Miller Road site to homes and properties in the adjoining municipalities makes this proposed project particularly sensitive.”
The energy storage system project is meant to reduce some of the strain on the regional electric grid, which would be helpful during blackouts; it would also alleviate some costs to both the electric utility and consumers. The system would be connected directly to the electricity grid in Mahopac, where it is under operation of New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG).
Harckham writes the new legislation he will be introducing will support local governments as they contend with other proposals for energy storage systems or “battery farms.” A proposed 100-megawatt battery storage facility located in Queens, NY, slightly smaller in size to what is planned for Carmel, would be 130,680 square-feet, according to a Public Service Commission document—about three acres in size and larger than a city block in Manhattan.
The new legislation, Harckham states, would “ensure sound siting, best standards for energy storage system safety and guarantee all stakeholders are heard.” An earlier bill was called back recently after new regulatory language in the FY2024-2025 State Budget made it unworkable.
A copy of Harckham’s letter to Carmel Supervisor Cazzari is attached to this release.
Pete Harckham represents the 40th Senate District, which includes the towns of Carmel, Kent, Patterson and Southeast, and the village of Brewster in Putnam County; the town of Stony Point in Rockland County; and the city of Peekskill, the towns of Bedford, Cortlandt, Lewisboro, New Castle, North Salem, Ossining, Somers and Yorktown, the town/village of Mount Kisco, and the villages of Briarcliff Manor, Buchanan, Croton-on-Hudson and Ossining in Westchester County.
