STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A group of Staten Island elected officials are joining together to put distance between battery energy storage systems and the surrounding community.

On Thursday, State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, Assemblymember Charles Fall and Borough President Vito Fossella announced new efforts to curb battery energy storage systems — commonly referred to as BESS — from appearing in residential areas.

In addition, Scarcella-Spanton — a Democrat who represents the North Shore and South Brooklyn — announced legislation she introduced which would require that Community Boards are notified when a battery storage system is planned for a nearby neighborhood.

The bill would also mandate annual safety inspections for the BESS sites.

“While these facilities are often framed as a part of our clean energy future, the reality is that they are poorly sited and inadequately monitored,” Scarcella-Spanton said.

“We see how quickly they can go up in flames and we want to make sure that they are not by your homes, by your businesses and collectively, we’re all working together with our community partners to make sure we pass this legislation,” she continued.

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