Since August I’ve been knocking on doors in Hamden, DeLancey, Mundale and Hawleys. The question I hear more than any other is about the battery storage facility proposed here. People want to know what it is, who’s deciding, and where I stand.
I’m a no on the Fraser Energy Storage application as it has been submitted.
The biggest reason is the setback. Last December, after a public hearing, Hamden adopted a local law requiring battery facilities to sit at least 1,000 feet from neighbors who aren’t part of the project. The developer has said publicly that it’s asking the Planning Board to waive that down to 100 feet. That’s one tenth of what our law calls for. If a project only works by setting aside the main protection in the law, I don’t think it’s the right project for that site.
Fire safety is another. In 2023 New York had fires at battery storage sites in Warwick, East Hampton and Jefferson County, enough that the state formed a working group to review fire codes. Some of those fires burned for days, and people nearby were told to stay inside because of potentially toxic smoke. Hamden doesn’t have its own fire department. We’re covered by the Delhi and Walton departments. Before anything moves forward, I want to hear from them, in public, that they’re trained and equipped for a fire like this.
Then there’s the water. I live on protected DEP land myself. Hamden sits on the West Branch of the Delaware, upstream of the Cannonsville Reservoir, and a lot of us are on private wells. Water used to fight a battery fire has to go somewhere, and so does runoff from construction.
The Planning Board makes the decision on this application, and that’s how it should be. I respect the work they do. By law they have to give every application a full and fair review, and they will see this one through. What I’m asking is that they hold the developer to the law we already have. Our battery storage law is less than a year old, it was written to protect our neighbors, and it shouldn’t be waived for the first developer to come along.
This project also shows a bigger problem. The Town Board has been discussing it at its meetings, but most people can’t make those meetings. These past few months, I’ve met a lot of neighbors who were hearing about it for the first time from me. That shouldn’t be how residents find out. You deserve to hear about decisions like this before they’re made, not after.
There are practical ways to fix that. Board meetings can be video recorded and posted online with full written transcripts, so anyone can watch or read exactly what was said. Documents and developer proposals can be posted before meetings, not after. The town can have official social media, and updates can go out by mail to neighbors who aren’t online. None of this is complicated, and all of it would help.
I understand why a project like this is tempting. The town needs money for roads and services, and nobody wants higher taxes. But the first offer isn’t the only option. There’s grant funding for main street revitalization and town needs. There are commercial properties for sale or sitting underused that could be put back to work. There are local businesses worth promoting, and there’s room for new business and industry that respects our land and water. We can grow without putting at risk the things that make Hamden worth living in.
Come to the Planning Board and Town Board meetings. Read the application. Ask questions. Neighbors have also started a Facebook group, Hamden NY United, where people are sharing information and keeping each other informed. Join it if you haven’t. Whatever you think of this project, make sure your voice is part of the record.
Jonathan Kilday
DeLancey
