Senate Bill S2242

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S2242

SPONSOR: MATTERA
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act establishing the task force on battery storage facility fire
safety; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration
thereof

 
PURPOSE:

To establish the task force on battery storage facility fire safety

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1. There is hereby established the Task Force on Battery Storage
Facility Fire Safety. The purpose of the task force is to collaborate
with local governments, firefighters, and industry experts to develop
new safety standards and best practices to protect our neighborhoods,
forests, and agricultural land from dangerous battery storage facility
fires.

              

Section 2. The task force shall consist of members as follows:

a) The president of New York State Energy Research and Development
Authority, or his or her designee;

b) One member to be appointed by the Governor;

c) One member to be appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly;

d) One member to be appointed by the Assembly Minority Leader;

e) One member to be appointed by the Temporary President of the Senate;
0 One member to be appointed by the Senate Minority Leader;

g) One member to be appointed by the largest trade association repres-
enting battery storage operators in New York;

h) One member to be appointed by the largest trade labor association
representing electrical workers;

i) One member to be appointed by the largest trade labor association
representing firefighters in New York.

Section 3. The president of New York State Energy Research and Develop-
ment Authority, or his or her designee, shall be designated as the
chairperson of the Task Force on Battery Storage Facility Fire Safety.
The members of the task force shall serve without compensation, except
that members shall be allowed their necessary and actual expenses
incurred in the performance of their duties under this act.

Section 4. The task force shall be authorized to hold public hearings,
and to consult with any organization, educational institution, or other
government entity or person, to enable it to accomplish its duties. Such
task force shall hold at least one public hearing in the state for the
purpose of soliciting public comment on housing development.


Section 5. To effectuate the purposes of this act, the task force may
request and shall receive from any department, division, board, bureau,
commission, or other agency of the state or any state public authority
such assistance, information, and data as will enable the task force to
properly carry out its powers and duties hereunder.

Section 6. The task force shall develop best practices for fire safety,
including but not limited to fire prevention, fire containment, and
limiting the spread of toxic smoke, in battery storage facilities and in
surrounding areas around where the facility is located.

Section 7. The task force shall issue a report of its findings and
legislative recommendations to the Governor, the Speaker of the Assem-
bly, the Assembly Minority Leader, the Temporary President of the
Senate, Senate Minority Leader, the largest advocacy group representing
county governments in New York, and the largest advocacy group repres-
enting mayors in New York no later than one year after the effective
date of this act.

Section 8. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and
be deemed repealed two years after such date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

With the ongoing safety concerns surrounding battery storage facilities,
it is incumbent on New York State to gather all the information possible
about this emerging and relatively unknown energy source. This legis-
lation will require New York State to set up a dedicated task force of
experts that will openly investigate battery storage facilities to
inform New York residents and localities about the safety and efficiency
of such facilities.

This task force will also develop and offer best practices regarding
fire safety. This will provide local governments, in conjunction with
New York State, with the information they need to create local contin-
gency plans and procedures to deal with any event involving battery
storage facilities like the fire emergencies that some communities in
our state have experienced.

This will help make sure that New York's brave first responders are not
unnecessarily put in harm's way when a facility catches fire and that
any locality that chooses to house a facility is prepared.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New Bill

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be deemed
repealed two years after such date.