BY JEFF CHUDZINSKI
North Country This Week

State Senator Mark Walcyzk and Assemblyman Scott Gray are calling on state officials to put a freeze on battery storage facilities utilized at solar arrays throughout the state.

The initiative comes after a fire broke out recently at a solar facility in the town of Lyme, as well as a second facility in Chaumont.

Walcyzk has been critical of the state’s policies regarding solar projects, saying the policies “supersede both logic and the environment.”

“If New York's 'Green new deal' (CLCPA) needed a cover photo, you could find it today in Chaumont. Another Convergent Energy battery storage facility has been burning for over a day, posing potentially serious health risks to residents. New York's green groups and Democrat politicians are driving public policy that's destroying the environment. I'm calling on the Governor to pause installation of these dangerous battery storage systems until the conclusion of a full investigation,” Walcyzk said in a statement.

The bill, which is being introduced in the Senate by Walcyzk and in the Assembly by Gray, would mandate that every solar farm in the State shall have the safety data sheet (SDS) conspicuously posted in any area on such a solar farm that would likely be accessed by emergency responders in the case of a fire or other emergency.

In the event of a fire, first responders would then be able to pull up to an emergency scene and examine the SDS to make quicker and more informed decisions, according to Walcyzk.

In an additional step, Walcyzk has also written a letter to the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Telecommunications, Senator Kevin Parker, calling on the Chairman to support the legislation in the name of safety for residents of rural New York.

Gray also issued a statement, saying the legislation could address multiple points of concern.

"This legislation is one component of a multiple component issue that we will be looking to resolve. Making sure our Emergency personnel are completely equipped with the right equipment and information needed to respond rapidly and efficiently is the priority,” Gray said.

"As this legislation moves forward we will be working closely with the Governor's task force in order to ensure public safety and health are paramount, when developing battery storage sites. This will help prevent and/or mitigate these fires from occurring in the future."