On Monday, August 18, 2025, a crowd will gather in Hauppauge, Long Island, as Lee Zeldin—former Long Island congressman, 2022 Republican gubernatorial candidate, and now the United States Environmental Protection Agency Administrator—steps up to the podium. The topic? Battery Energy Storage Systems, or BESS, which have become both a symbol of New York’s ambitious green energy push and a flashpoint for environmental and safety concerns in communities across the state.
Battery Energy Storage Systems are being installed at a rapid pace in New York, as the state races to meet the aggressive climate goals set by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019. The law aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 and achieve 100% zero-carbon emission electricity by 2040. Since 2019, over 6,000 battery storage projects have been approved, creating 440 megawatts of capacity, with another 1.3 gigawatts under contract. The state’s goal: six gigawatts by 2030, according to the EPA.
But not everyone is on board with this breakneck expansion. Many residents, particularly in communities like Hauppauge, Staten Island, Queens, the Hudson Valley, and upstate New York, are voicing strong opposition to these facilities being built in their neighborhoods. Their concerns are not abstract. As Zeldin himself put it in remarks to the New York Post, “Calling a technology ‘green energy’ does not mean there are no environmental impacts.” He continued, “Residents are looking across the country where dangerous lithium battery fires at BESS facilities have caused widespread damage, and they are concerned with New York’s partisan push to fill yet another of its delusional ‘green’ goals, which the state itself admits it cannot meet.”
To underscore the risks, Zeldin cited recent lithium battery fires in California and Hawaii, which caused significant damage and underscored the dangers these facilities can pose to both host communities and first responders. When BESS facilities catch fire, they can release toxic emissions—including hydrofluoric acid and other pollutants—that threaten not just air quality but also local waterways. In Hauppauge, residents worry that a fire could lead to contaminated water being discharged into the Nissequogue River and surrounding groundwater, compounding their fears.
Despite the mounting backlash, the state’s leadership remains steadfast. Governor Kathy Hochul and Albany Democrats have championed the expansion of BESS as a cornerstone of New York’s fight against climate change. The state has even passed laws that dramatically expand its power to override local opposition for major renewable projects, including battery storage facilities of 25 megawatts or larger. However, the proposed Hauppauge facility is not subject to such a state override, leaving local residents to organize and protest on their own terms.
Zeldin’s stance is nuanced. While he stops short of explicitly opposing BESS outright, he is set to issue new EPA guidance for communities and local governments, urging them to carefully consider the environmental risks associated with these facilities. “Many New Yorkers, especially in New York City and on Long Island, have made their voices clear – they do not want Battery Energy Storage Systems built in their neighborhoods,” Zeldin said.
His criticism extends beyond the technology itself to the broader energy policies of the state. He lambasted what he called the “delusional” and unrealistic green energy goals advanced by Governor Hochul and Albany Democrats. “The state that banned the safe extraction of natural gas, gas hook-ups on new construction, gas stoves, and aims to end the sale of gas-powered vehicles, continues to put the safety and well-being of New Yorkers second to their climate change agenda,” Zeldin argued.
But the pushback against Zeldin’s position has been swift and pointed. Ken Lovett, Senior Communications Advisor on Energy and the Environment for Governor Hochul, told the New York Post, “Lee Zeldin’s job is to protect the environment, but he has been doing anything but that.” Lovett continued, “His continued assault on clean energy and his push for rollbacks on environmental protections will hurt everyone in his home state of New York and across the country and fly in the face of the federal government’s claim of wanting U.S. energy independence.”
Lovett and other supporters of the state’s policies argue that the expansion of battery storage is critical not just for reducing carbon emissions but also for stabilizing the electric grid and lowering costs for consumers. “While other states are rapidly investing in storage to stabilize their grids and lower costs, Zeldin’s approach risks leaving New York’s economy behind and forcing New Yorkers to pay,” Lovett said.
In response to the safety concerns, New York has recently enacted what are considered some of the most stringent battery energy storage regulations in the country. These regulations have earned praise from six former city fire safety officials, including former FDNY Commissioner Tom Von Essen, who lauded the state’s commitment to safety in developing these facilities.
Still, for many residents, the assurances of regulators and politicians ring hollow. The memory of lithium-ion battery fires elsewhere—and the images of toxic clouds and emergency crews scrambling to contain the damage—are hard to shake. Protests like the one in Brooklyn on August 6, 2025, have become increasingly common, with locals demanding more oversight and a greater say in what gets built in their backyards.
There’s also the matter of local versus state control. Two recent laws have given New York’s state government sweeping authority to override local objections to major renewable projects. Yet, in places like Hauppauge, where the facility does not fall under these laws, community opposition remains a powerful force. Concerns about toxic emissions, contaminated water, and the potential for catastrophic fires have led to calls for more robust environmental reviews and emergency planning.
As Zeldin prepares to issue the new EPA guidance, the debate over BESS in New York seems poised to intensify. The guidance is expected to offer communities and local governments a framework for evaluating the environmental risks of battery storage systems—an effort to balance the state’s climate ambitions with the need to protect public health and safety.
Ultimately, the controversy swirling around BESS in New York is emblematic of the broader tensions facing states as they attempt to transition to cleaner energy sources. The promise of green technology is undeniable, but as Zeldin and concerned residents point out, it’s not without its own set of risks and trade-offs. The coming weeks may reveal whether New York can find a path forward that addresses both its climate goals and the legitimate concerns of its communities.
For now, the state’s ambitious targets and the local resistance they’ve sparked serve as a reminder: the road to a greener future is rarely straightforward, and every solution brings its own set of challenges.
