By: Jordan Baker

New Yorkers fighting against the rapid spread of massive battery energy storage facilities in their neighborhoods have found an unexpected champion in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin.

Zeldin, the former Long Island congressman and 2022 GOP gubernatorial nominee, is set to hold a press conference Monday in Hauppauge to outline environmental and safety concerns tied to Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). These facilities, which rely heavily on lithium-ion batteries, have been at the center of neighborhood protests due to fears of catastrophic fires.

While Zeldin stopped short of outright opposing BESS, he told the New York Post that the EPA will release new guidance for local governments to weigh potential risks when evaluating projects. “Calling a technology ‘green energy’ does not mean there are no environmental impacts,” he said, blasting what he described as “delusional” green goals pushed by Gov. Kathy Hochul and state Democrats.

As the Post reported, battery storage plants are spreading across New York—from Staten Island and Queens to the Hudson Valley and upstate—as the state races to meet its ambitious Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act targets: a 40% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030 and 100% zero-emission electricity by 2040. But Zeldin warned residents are right to be worried. “Many New Yorkers, especially in New York City and on Long Island, have made their voices clear – they do not want Battery Energy Storage Systems built in their neighborhoods,” he said.

The New York Post noted that protests have broken out in multiple boroughs. Just last week, Brooklyn residents rallied against a proposed facility on McDonald Avenue, citing fire risks and the possibility of toxic runoff contaminating nearby rivers and groundwater. Zeldin amplified those concerns, pointing to incidents in California and Hawaii where lithium battery fires caused severe damage and imperiled first responders.

“The state that banned the safe extraction of natural gas, gas hook-ups on new construction, gas stoves, and aims to end the sale of gas-powered vehicles, continues to put the safety and well-being of New Yorkers second to their climate change agenda,” Zeldin told the Post. He accused Albany Democrats of sidelining reliable energy sources like natural gas in pursuit of what he called “wacky” climate mandates.

Hochul’s office fired back, saying it was bizarre for the nation’s top environmental official to attack clean energy. Ken Lovett, the governor’s senior communications adviser on energy, told the New York Post that Zeldin’s position “flies in the face of the federal government’s claim of wanting U.S. energy independence.” He argued that storage technology is crucial for stabilizing the grid, reducing costs, and ensuring New York’s competitiveness.

State officials stressed that New York has enacted some of the strictest battery safety rules in the country, with support from six former FDNY fire safety leaders. Since 2019, more than 6,000 projects have been approved, representing 440 megawatts of capacity, with 1.3 gigawatts under contract and a 2030 goal of six gigawatts.

Still, residents near the Hauppauge project remain unconvinced. They worry about contaminated water, hydrofluoric acid leaks, and airborne toxins if a fire breaks out. For Zeldin, their concerns highlight the gap between Albany’s lofty goals and neighborhood realities. As the New York Post underscored, his intervention adds national weight to a local fight—and intensifies the clash between federal and state visions for New York’s energy future.