Massachusetts should be proactive as new concerns over the safety and environmental impacts of “clean energy” battery storage facilities after numerous fires at these facilities have led governors in California and New York to call for investigations into the safety and risks associated with this new technology.
The Moss Plant in California has had a number of fires at that facility. In New York, four of the eight battery storage facilities had fires in 2023. This is not a safe technology that should be allowed near communities or the city’s drinking water supply.
The rush to implement this new technology, has not allowed time for the state to put departments in place in order to protect the citizens or the environment in Massachusetts. This has allowed powerful corporations, with layers of limited liability companies to insulate them from responsibility while sidestepping local zoning ordinances, state law, Article 97 of the Massachusetts Constitution and federal fire codes.
Gov. Maura Healey’s climate energy bill was just signed into law in November. On Dec. 17, the state announced a $3.5 million fund for stakeholders to intervene in the utility siting process. State officials expect the new fund to “up and running” in March of 2026. A lot of good that does the city of Westfield and surrounding area, including Southampton, Easthampton, Holyoke and West Springfield.
Westfield and Massachusetts must protect our citizens and natural resources, while providing safe, reliable clean energy that is both efficient and affordable. We should learn valuable lessons from other states.
State legislators in California and New York have filed bills to:
- Put a pause on sitting lithium battery sites
- Require buffer zones between battery story sites and communities or ecologically fragile areas
- Require local engagement in permitting, instead of allowing state agencies to give approval on their own.
Dan Allie
Westfield City Councilor
