Hampton Bays residents voice concerns over storage of lithium batteries near their homes
The proposed construction includes 30 battery enclosure units that would each hold 24 battery modules.
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Hampton Bays residents made their voices heard Tuesday afternoon on the ongoing issue of storing lithium batteries.
For the last month, residents have been going door to door every night, reaching thousands of people explaining their concerns about having an industrial storage plant in their neighborhood.
A 5-acre piece of land on North Shore Road is being considered as the site for a lithium battery storage site about 100 feet from nearby homes.
The proposed construction includes 30 battery enclosure units that would each hold 24 battery modules.
Some residents are concerned about the impact the facility could have on the environment and their health.
"Everybody is for green energy. Everybody. We are not opposed to that solution. What we are opposed to is putting it next to people's homes," says one neighbor.
Ahead of Tuesday's meeting at Southampton Town Hall, a group of neighbors sat down with News 12 to share their concerns.
Not only do residents not want the facility, but they also don't think enough research has been done when it comes to property value, environmental impacts and health concerns.
Another major concern is fires. Lithium battery fires are tricky because they can't be extinguished with water.
After learning about the catastrophic results from other facilities, residents said they worry about what could happen should a fire occur near them and their homes.
Southampton will also consider a moratorium on these types of facilities, submitting applications for three months.
