As you may have heard, there was an explosion at a solar farm in Jefferson County earlier this month. This incident left the village of Chaumont air plagued with residue of lithium battery chemicals for 24 hours. The infected air lingered for over five days, warranting an investigation from the DEC that is still ongoing. Typically, with solar battery units, there are self-compression installed to prevent a fire from spreading or being exposed to the environment. However, as the investigation continues, we know one thing for certain, we are not ready.

I’m not against electric vehicles or renewable energy. My wife owns a hybrid and I welcome anything that is innovative and wanted by communities. What I am against is pressuring hard-working New Yorkers to spend their money on new initiatives that lack widespread support and expected oversight for expenditures. The Governor made a statement suggesting creating a safety council to oversee electric infrastructures. Think about it, it’s now crossing her mind that there should be extra safety precautions. It’s almost like counting chickens before they hatched. There is a need for statewide training opportunities to better equip our EMT, volunteer fire departments, and first responders in handling battery fires effectively.

The Governor and Albany legislators who pushed this initiative to turn New York into an electric paradise jumped the gun too fast. They failed to think beyond the faults that solar energy infrastructures may have. Contrary to conventional fire-fighting methods, dealing with battery fires requires a different approach. It's not simply a matter of extinguishing the flames; rather, the strategy involves allowing the smoke to smother using specialized chemicals.

During the session, my Minority colleagues and I questioned the feasibility of going all electric. It’s more sensible to start off encouraging hybrid vehicles and slowly incorporate renewable energy for those who choose. The cost of purchasing and maintaining electric vehicles is currently high, making it impractical for many individuals and communities. It is an insult to force electric onto people knowing there are safety concerns with the batteries.

Electric activists blatantly disregard the consequences and common-sense issues. Creating a safety council for renewable energy infrastructures is a measure that should have been a forethought before the integration of solar panels into our communities. We need officials from all sides of the government to come together and find the best way to safely approach, contain and clean up the debris of solar panels. If this is the future of our state, New Yorkers deserve better leadership and planning. I give my thoughts and prayers for Jefferson County full recovery.

As always, please feel free to reach out to my office at 315-493-3909 or email me at blankenbushk@nyassembly.gov