During the recent Joint Legislative Public Hearing on the 2026 Executive Budget Proposal, Senator Mark Walczyk raised pressing safety concerns over battery storage facilities in upstate New York, casting doubt on their suitability for local communities here in New York. Senator Walczyk’s comments came in response to testimony from William Acker, Executive Director of the New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology Consortium (NY-BEST), who insisted that battery fires are rare, despite a troubling history of incidents in New York.

 

“New York has already seen four battery storage facilities catch fire, including one in Lyme in 2023, one in East Hampton in 2023, and two in Warwick—one in 2023 and another most recently in December 2025,” stated Senator Walczyk. “These incidents endanger our communities and disrupt lives. When battery facilities catch fire due to thermal runaway, they unleash a catastrophic array of toxic chemicals into the air, including hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen chloride, sulfur dioxide, methane, and ethylene. The CDC warns that hydrogen fluoride is lethal at just 30 parts per million, and it can cause severe lung damage and even death before anyone can smell or taste it. "

Senator Walczyk also criticized Acker's assertion that "battery fires are rare," asserting that communities directly impacted by fires—including his constituents in Lyme back in 2023—these events are anything but rare. “To those living in Lyme, this is not just a statistic; it’s a terrifying reality. The community of Lyme was locked down during this fire; people were told to stay inside their homes. The fire department did not know how to deal with the fire, and people were terrified. For them, it's not rare; they only have one battery storage facility. How many battery fires in the State of New York will New Yorkers have to suffer if your plan sees through in the state of New York?"
 

In their exchange, Senator Walczyk highlighted the inadequacies of local fire departments in managing the perilous hazards posed by battery storage facilities. While Acker attempted to downplay the risks by claiming that new codes would ensure effective emergency response plans and that "monitoring detected no harmful levels for humans of any of the emissions" during previous fires, Senator Walczyk countered, stating, “That’s even more concerning! If we don't have the monitoring equipment in place to identify these toxic emissions when they occur, how can we be confident our communities are safe? Just because you say no harmful levels were found doesn't mean those dangers aren't present when a fire breaks out.”
 

"Our communities are simply not prepared to handle these potentially deadly threats. Moreover, comparing conditions and safety standards in Texas to those here in upstate New York is fundamentally misguided. Our climates and our infrastructure are entirely different. What might work in the sprawling landscapes of Texas cannot be recklessly applied to our densely populated areas. We need a comprehensive strategy that specifically addresses the unique challenges we face. This is not just about energy expansion; it's about safeguarding the lives of our residents," Walczyk concluded.