Letters

The uproar over the BESS energy storage proposal for Hampton Bays offers a view of a struggle of “NIMBY versus woke” political factions.

In this local scrimmage, NIMBY adherents have run into Town Hall to proclaim that “Southampton Town does not ‘get’ Hampton Bays.” Some who live miles away from the proposed battery storage system have taken the town to task on this for many years, for many issues, over and over.

Suppose the colonists dumped tea into the harbor every two weeks to remind King George that he didn’t “get” America. Would that have gotten us our independence? No, that needling would have changed nothing.

Let’s take stock of the situation. There will be thousands of these BESS systems installed in the next five years throughout the country. As mentioned in news reports [“BESS Debate About Moratorium, Potential Code Revisions and Hampton Bays Site Continues Amid Impassioned Opposition,” 27east.com, June 28], the type of lithium battery proposed here is best extinguished with water should it catch on fire. Few communities will have proximity to the amount of water that we have in Hampton Bays if needed. This is not a nuclear plant, where accidents can damage an area for centuries.

To repeat, the town does not “get” Hampton Bays and never will. We need to “get” ourselves.

New York State law is divided into many categories. Of interest here is village law. The inquisitive will find that it spells out the legal requirements to incorporate as a village. It’s clearly written, like a recipe.

For us Hampton Bays residents, it’s a recipe for success. It offers us self-government. Mayor Maria Moore of the Village of Westhampton Beach has said being a village allows us to be “masters of our own destiny.” We would have the luxury of “getting” ourselves.

We have bigger problems than BESS to solve. We need a sewage system for downtown Hampton Bays. We need a regional transportation solution to end the trade parade. BESS is small potatoes compared to these efforts. We should not allow ourselves to be distracted by it.

Let’s not forget that Hampton Bays suffered from the very worst NIMBY outcomes ever on December 23, 1947. That was the date that the Ponquogue Lighthouse was deliberately demolished.

If we “get” ourselves, we will be able to protect ourselves from those who never will.

Bruce Doscher

Hampton Bays