Queens pol wants Hochul to pass moratorium on battery storage sites

Queens City Councilmember Phil Wong wants the governor to pass a moratorium on battery storage site construction statewide. Photo via Councilmember Phil Wong’s Office

By Ryan Schwach

A freshman Queens councilmember who inherited his predecessor’s beef with a company trying to build a lithium-ion battery storage site in the district wants the governor to pass a moratorium on their construction statewide.

Queens Councilmember Phil Wong penned a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul last week calling for the embargo after it was recently determined that a 2023 fire at a battery storage site in Nassau County led to contamination to the area’s water supply.

Wong wants Hochul to pass a similar moratorium to the one she recently enacted for AI data centers.

“Your action recognizes that government must fully understand the consequences of rapidly expanding technology before allowing development to move forward,” Wong wrote. “I urge you to apply that same precautionary approach to lithium-ion battery energy storage system facilities proposed in or near residential communities.”

The councilmember doesn’t want the sites built in residential neighborhoods like the ones he represents in western and central Queens.

“I respectfully urge you to impose a moratorium on new lithium-ion battery storage facilities

in or adjacent to residential neighborhoods, schools, daycare centers and other sensitive

locations while the state conducts a comprehensive review,” the letter continued.

In response to the letter, Hochul’s office said that the state has made efforts to maintain safety and regulate the sites.

"Safety is the top priority for Governor Hochul which is why under her direction, New York this year enacted among the most stringent battery energy storage regulations in the country that has won support from numerous fire safety officials and experts,” said senior communications advisor on energy and environment for Hochul, Ken Lovett. “As we deal with potential energy shortages in coming years, it's imperative that we take advantage of every opportunity to add power to our grid while ensuring we do it safely, efficiently, and affordably."

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the sites are intended to help “stabilize electrical grids by providing steady power flow” – however, lithium battery fires at some sites have led to community pushback.

Wong’s letter cites the 2023 fire in East Hampton, as well as fires at sites in California in January 2025 and in Warwick, New York in December 2025.

Clean energy advocates, like the American Clean Power Association, say that the plants can be safe as long as they are properly regulated.

The group argues that instances of fires at storage sites have gone down proportionate to the number of sites being built nationwide, and zero deaths have occurred in connection with battery storage facilities to this point.

But this fight has been personal for Wong.

Wong is in an ongoing local battle against the construction of a battery storage site in Middle Village by operator NineDot Energy.

He inherited the conflict from his predecessor and former boss, Councilmember Bob Holden.

Locals are pushing against the construction due to its proximity to schools.

The fight boiled over last month when one of Wong’s office employees was allegedly injured in confrontation with contractors at the NineDot construction site.

“No additional permits should be issued until that independent investigation is completed and the safety of the property is established,” Wong said in his letter. “We recognize New York’s energy goals, but public and environmental safety must come first. We are willing to work with your administration on a responsible path forward, but no lithium-ion facility should move forward in a residential community unless its risks are fully understood and the surrounding community is protected.”

More batteries?

On the other side of the debate, one Queens official has penned letters to the governor calling for her to embrace battery storage sites.

Assemblymember Claire Valdez, who is also the Democratic nominee for New York’s 7th Congressional District, wrote a letter to Hochul on July 20 asking her to push Con Edison to allow for more battery storage.

“A few weeks ago, when we were experiencing hundred-degree heat, Con Edison shut off power to 9,800 customers in Queens, that is completely unacceptable,” Valdez wrote. “It is also avoidable.”

“As a representative for people who experienced power shutoffs during the worst heat of the summer, I am urging you to stand with us and call on Con Edison to allow more battery storage technology onto the grid,” she added.