Town of North Hempstead Town Board Regular Meeting - October 6, 2025
Town of North Hempstead Town Board Regular Meeting - October 6, 2025
The Town of North Hempstead Town Board held a regular meeting on October 6, 2025, at 10:00 AM. The primary agenda item was a resolution to accept the receipt of the tentative 2026 budget. The board also heard extensive public comments urging the extension of a moratorium on lithium battery energy storage systems (BESS) in the town.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Christine Panzion urged the board to extend the BESS moratorium, citing risks from greenhouse gas emissions, high-voltage EMF transmission lines, and recent battery failures. She argued that fire codes fail to address unstable battery chemistries, that developers have conflicts of interest in peer reviews, and that the town needs local zoning control. She also opposed the Propel transmission project, stating it would expose residents to high EMF levels (up to 175 milligauss) and cause construction disruptions. She thanked the board for a prior recognition.
- A speaker (identified as a financial advisor) opposed BESS, stating that lithium fires are impossible to extinguish, fire departments lack manpower to monitor long-duration fires, and experts have vested interests. He recommended Bloom Energy fuel cell technology as a safer alternative and urged the board to delay BESS adoption.
- Tammy Palmeri requested extension of the moratorium, citing inherent dangers of lithium chemistry, failure rates of suppression systems (25%) and thermal management (18%) per CEA audits, and the lack of liability insurance mandates for developers. She called for wind modeling, independent air/soil testing, decontamination plans for firefighters, and criticized New York State's Rapid Act for potentially overriding home rule.
- Rob Mazella (Glenhead) opposed BESS, noting toxic off-gassing during normal operations, high cancer rates on Long Island, and safer alternatives like sodium-ion and solid-state batteries. He criticized the hypocrisy of NYSERDA's head living in a town with a ban on lithium batteries and ended with a quote from former Governor Ann Richards.
Discussion Items
- Resolution (Item #1): A resolution accepting the receipt of the tentative 2026 budget of the Town of North Hempstead, along with budgets for all special improvement districts and assessment rolls for three water pollution control districts. Supervisor DeSena noted that a public hearing on the budget would be held on October 16, 2025, at 10:00 AM, with a vote on October 28, 2025, at 7:00 PM. She also noted that Councilwoman Lou and Councilman Adami had conflicts but would receive copies.
Key Outcomes
- Resolution No. 542-2025 was adopted by a vote of 5 Ayes (Robert Troiano, Dennis Walsh, Jennifer DeSena, Ed Scott, Mariann Dalimonte) and 0 Nays. The motion was made by Jennifer DeSena.
Meeting Transcript
Okay. Sorry. Go ahead, Madison. Good morning, everybody. Donov North Hempstead, special downboard meeting, October 6, 2025. Gonsaman Chino. Present. Gonsmith Scott. Here. Gonsman Waj? Yeah. Daddy Monte? Supervisor DeSina. Here. Thank you. Okay. No. Christine Panzion. Thank you. Good morning. I'm here today to ask you to please extend the best moratorium. There are new proposals for our harbor and your town. At 0.4% greenhouse gas emissions, why rush into first generation technology with documented risks and the high voltage EMF transmission lines that will surround our home schools and businesses, putting our health safety at risk when there are safer, reliable alternatives being developed. State and federal leaders describe BESS as an experiment, noting learning is taking place as incidents occur. Recent events, including a failure this month, underscore nothing prevents thermal runaway as toxic emissions, hazardous waste cleanup and health effects. The new fire codes fail to address the root cause of the problem. Unstable toxic battery chemistries. Despite claims of improved safety, it's still a let it burn approach, leaving communities exposed to toxic fallout, hazardous waste cleanup, medical risks, and long-term contamination. Developers hire their own peer reviewers, creating clear conflicts of interest. Safety measures such as hour barriers when they burn for days and weeks, four hours to be on site, remote monitoring with cyber vulnerabilities, used materials, and component substitutions offer little real protection, further endangering our communities. No resident safeguards for developer-funded baseline testing of air, soil, and water, and continuous environmental monitoring, or financial bonds to cover potential contamination and health impact. CEA audits show failure rates of 25% for suppression systems and 18% for thermal management. You'll face the same broken promises, incomplete assessments, contamination issues, and legal challenges seen elsewhere. Local control and local zoning is needed to protect us. Glen Church stated this is outpacing both regulation and industry's ability to manage it. Extend the moratorium, protect public health safety, our aquifers and environment. Pause for a good cause, wait before it's too late. Propel. Shouldn't Long Island's PPTN to export wind be canceled for the same reason the New York City one was because wind transmission is too risky and too high cost. Propel marries us to Bass, and the high EMF emissions feed from home schools and businesses. EMF readings for North Hempstead will be as high as 175 milligauss near the outdated 1978 standard of 200. This standard is not health-based, and the milligause being reported excludes your existing EMFs on your roads. Studies link high EMF exposure to childhood leukemia, other cancers, neurological conditions, and interfere with medical devices. Years of construction would cause lane closures and economic disruptions to local businesses along Glencove Road, Northern Boulevard, Willis Avenue, and routes 106-107. We call for local control over zoning, partnering with you to protect our health and safety, addressing propel and extending the moratorium while pursuing long-term solutions to prevent these projects from being cited in our home schools and near water sources. Thank you so much. And on a personal note, I want to thank you, Supervisor DeSena, and the entire town board for the recognition you bestowed on me a few weeks ago. It was um meant more than you know, and I really do appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you.
openpublica.com