CM Wong on lithium battery storage near schools

Thank you, Chairs.

Chancellor, thank you for coming today.

I want to talk about a situation in my district.

A nine-dot energy company proposed a lithium battery energy storage system.

To be built at 6430 69th Place in Middle Village.

That's directly across from the school, PSIS 128, is right next to the annex of the building,

and facing the lot to the left is the annex of the school, 128, to the right is a daycare center, a preschool, and a children's play area.

The project is as of right, but has not been built yet.

But we know, I watch YouTube, and I'm sure everyone watches YouTube, lithium-ion battery fires are extremely difficult to suppress.

At the SBS fire in Warwick, New York, the fire burned for more than three days in December 2025.

Here's my question.

Is a policy question.

When a developer proposes a lithium ion battery storage facility directly across the street from a school, before it's built, while there's still time to act, does DOE have any written protocol?

requiring school leadership or the parent coordinator or the PTA to notify families that this proposal exists because this is happening right now and there's a lot of parents, even teachers, said they know nothing about it.

Please answer it.

Thank you for the question.

I think I'm going to turn it over to Kevin Moran to see if there are any policies there, but that's something we can look into as well.

Yeah, first I'd like to thank you, Councilmember Wong, for your passion, advocacy, and support on this issue.

Keeping our school community safe is foundational.

I understand your concerns.

We watched carefully the fire in Warwick, New York, by the bus depot and by their school, and it did burn for three days.

Our schools do not get involved in land acquisition engagement activities in and around the school for a lot of good reasons.

As a lawmaker, again, I thank you for your advocacy.

I'd also reinforce that there's no law that would prevent battery storages from sensitive locations like libraries, schools.

churches, gas stations.

And so at current, battery storage facilities, battery farms as they're being called, can be built within 10 feet of an adjacent property.

And so to the point that you make, it's lawfully and legally permitted.

And the regulatory authority here is the Department of Buildings.

They'll go ahead with the paperwork.

There's advancements there on fire suppression, surveillance.

close scrutiny from the fire department.

And so to the extent we could be helpful in this, we will be.

But no, there's not a role for a PTA or a principal or anyone in the school community to play as it relates to land acquisition in and around the school.

Okay, well, thank you for the answer.

Because right now that...

We still have teachers and parents coming to me and say they're unaware of this project, and there's a big gap where the whole community is unaware of this proposal, and that's across the street from where the children go to school every day.

That's a problem, and then I'll have to talk to legislators in Albany to get this patched up because this clearly is not safe, it's not the right place.

Well, I would say that it's an emerging industry in the city.

It's meant to relieve the strain placed on the grid right now.

In my neighborhood, I got it right across from my library, right next to a gas station.

I see them growing.

And so to the extent we can partner on ways to make sure this is done safely for our community, it would be appreciated.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Jim.

Thank you, Jim.

Thank you.

Okay, Councilmember Lewis, followed by Brewer.