A proposed 250-megawatt lithium-ion battery storage facility at the former John A. Coleman Catholic High School has ignited strong opposition from the neighboring Town of Hurley, where officials warn the project is too close to homes, schools, and churches. The dispute underscores a broader tension playing out across New York as the state pushes to expand clean-energy infrastructure while residents worry about the risks of battery fires and toxic fumes.
The Hurley Town Board last week sent a letter “adamantly” opposing the plan, urging Ulster officials to adopt a six-month moratorium to allow more evaluation.
San Diego-based Tera-Gen wants to build on 12 of the 15 acres at the former high school at 430 Hurley Ave. in the Town of Ulster. Hurley Supervisor Michael Boms said the land—less than half a mile wide—is much too close to residential neighborhoods in Hurley and Kingston.
“I’m not questioning ion battery facilities. I am questioning putting one in a residential area,” Boms told The Overlook. “You’re inviting danger.”
Boms also said he was beginning conversations with town lawyers to adjust the town code in order to prevent ion battery facilities from being constructed in Hurley.
The letter, sent to dozens of officials including Gov. Kathy Hochul, notes more than 150 homes in Hurley’s Rolling Meadows and Elmendorf Heights neighborhoods fall within a half-mile of the site. In Kingston, about 350 apartments, along with two churches and three schools, are within a mile.
Residents at recent public hearings raised concerns about fire hazards, toxic fumes, and soil contamination. Ulster Supervisor James Quigley said more meetings are expected but none are yet scheduled.
Quigley told The Overlook he sees irony in some of the opposition.
“Consumer products have fires, too, but person after person gets up at [town] meetings and reads from their iPhones,” Quigley said. “There is a level of personal acceptance with ion batteries in their personal lives that doesn’t apply.”
“These are complicated projects,” he added. “It’s going to be a process that takes the time to find the answers in science.”
Still, science is what critics say is in question. Lithium-ion battery fires have been reported in Missouri, California, Wisconsin, and Arizona, as well as in Warwick, N.Y., in 2023, where noxious fumes alarmed local residents. The Federal Emergency Management Agency warns such fires can reignite after being extinguished, release flammable gases, and spread rapidly when overheated cells are ejected from battery packs.
“The science itself is unsettled,” Boms said. “You have to be sure when you’re dealing with people’s lives.”
Tera-Gen estimates a $200 million investment, with Ulster set to receive more than $2 million in fees if ground is broken on the project. But Boms argued the incentives don’t outweigh the risks.
“I mean, $2 million for not knowing what is going to happen?” he said. “The Town of Ulster will reap all the benefits, and if anything goes wrong, it will be the Town of Hurley and City of Kingston that will pay.”
Kingston Mayor Steve Noble did not respond to requests for comment.
Jim Rich is a reporter for The Overlook. You can reach him at jim@theoverlooknews.com.
