Letters

We thank our Town Board for moving toward a moratorium on residential battery energy storage systems on August 8. Thanks for listening and treating us with respect.

However, the fight against this BESS is not over. A threatened lawsuit and a potential compromise on the size of BESS means we will remain diligent to ensure that the BESS is not in a residential area.

The board listened to more than 30 community members who articulated why a residential BESS is dangerous, against common sense, an arrogant overreach, and contrary to guidelines.

On August 9, online reporting of the Town Hall meeting appeared at 27east [“Boisterous Crowd Condemns BESS Proposal, Demands Moratorium”]. While cursorily mentioned, none of those citizens was quoted, identified or their positions discussed. Instead, quotes from management filled the article. They indicate welcome acknowledgment of reasons to move BESS.

However, a quote purported to inform us once again that the town must fulfill its goal to “address climate change … and store and release energy created by renewable energy” indicates that town management may still not understand that the issue here is not mission. It is location.

The writer informs us that the attendees were “boisterous,” “impassioned” and a “crowd.” What they said is not reported. Except when some used their voices to ask for the dismissal of a town employee: “gentle scolding” admonished the “impassioned crowd.” Why the employee’s lack of esteem in the community caused calls for dismissal is not discussed.

Before that final bit of reporting, we did learn that “all anyone wanted to talk about was a proposed six-month moratorium that would halt any proposed development of battery energy storage system facilities.” Left out until later was that this development was at a residential site. Since the moratorium was one of two items on the agenda, that is why the boisterous, impassioned crowd came: to comment and inform elected officials of their views on the moratorium and BESS.

It was disingenuous for this reporter to slant news and attempt to neuter attendees, skew his reporting and never speak to attendees or report what they said. Surely he knows better.

One might ask if such reporting is what the newspaper wants. In my opinion, this reporting is propaganda hiding as news.

BESS in a residential community, an issue that concerns the health and safety of a large community, and the environment of the whole of Hampton Bays, was not important enough for the 27east “This Week” headlines email of August 11.

What is the 27east position on BESS in a residential community?

Steve Crispinelli

Hampton Bays