North Shore residents fresh from a victory after a battery storage developer scrapped a plant in their community were back on the offensive in Glen Head on Thursday, seeking an outright ban on lithium-ion battery facilities near homes and an end to a planned network of high-voltage cables through their streets.

At a rally attended by more than 70 residents and activists, speakers said the decision by battery storage developer Jupiter Power to withdraw a 275-megawatt project for Glenwood Landing doesn’t mean another developer can’t attempt to use the site. "We're ready to fight this," said civic group leader George Pombar. 

The battery, withdrawn after Jupiter reviewed its projects nationally, would have been among the largest in the country and the state, where Gov. Kathy Hochul envisions some 6,000 megawatts of battery plants to help store wind and solar power and to replace aging fossil fuel "peaker" plants. The vision has run into headwinds from the Trump administration and Congress, which is considering phasing out tax credits that have significantly funded the projects. 

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who appeared on a video screen set up at the rally, told residents battery storage plants present a "dangerous situation created by our state government" and asserted that local communities should control decisions about the projects.

Battery companies and their paid supporters say the plants are safe, will conform to new fire safety standards pending approval and are designed to prevent or limit the impact of fires, which have occurred at three plants across the state, including East Hampton. A fire occurred at one of the world's largest plants, in Monterey, California, earlier this year, sparking environmental concerns that have led to new scrutiny in that state.

Speakers at the Glen Head rally also doubled down on their opposition to a high-voltage cable project called Propel NY Energy, which developers, including the New York Power Authority, hope to start building next year. The $3.2 billion project proposes some 90 miles of high-voltage cables, some with three separate 345,000-volt lines running just below residential streets and business districts. It awaits a crucial permit from the U.S. Army Corps. of Engineers, among others. 

"Let's all tell Hochul: hell no, Propel must go," one speaker shouted. 

"These cables are surrounding our homes and our businesses," said Glen Head resident Christine Panzeca, a vocal opponent, saying her home would be surrounded on three sides by cables. "And nobody is looking out for the health and safety of residents or the viability of the business in our small local community."

"Residents are now spending exorbitant amounts of money to hire attorneys and hire specialists to defend our homes from a project that’s being pushed on top of us and down our throats," she told Newsday after the rally. "Why do we have to go into debt for something that we didn’t invite into our community?" 

Glenwood Landing resident Karen Yanelli, who attended with her young sons, raised questions about potential health issues from the elevated amount of electromagnetic fields the cables would emit around homes — upward of 200 milligauss in a street right of way. She said those levels are "going to be all around us, 24 hours a day, seven days a week," and asked, "Why is the state allowing this to happen?"

NYPA spokeswoman Susan Craig, in an email earlier this year addressing those concerns, said Propel "will fully comply with all New York State EMF standards." 

"The state sets limits for EMF at the edge of the right of way, and our underground project eliminates the electric field entirely, leaving only the magnetic field to be managed," Craig wrote. "State standards require the magnetic field to be under 200 mg at the edge of the right of way, and our project meets that requirement." 

Propel’s developers at the NYPA and New York Transco say the project is essential for facilitating two-way high-voltage power transmission between Long Island and upstate, eliminating a power bottleneck between the regions. They say they’ve conducted more than nine community meetings to inform residents and take input.

But another speaker at the rally wasn't convinced that cheaper, cleaner power was on its way. Glenwood resident Doug Augenthaler emphasized that the groups are "not anti-green; we are pro-safety. We are pro-smart projects. These projects are not safe and they are not smart ... They are expensive and your bills are going up." Propel is expected to hike average New Yorkers’ power bills by around $1.90 a month when completed in 2030.

Given recent reports that the state is considering new natural gas pipeline projects, Augenthaler said he’d support a new natural gas power plant at the site of the former Glenwood Landing plant, which LIPA and owner National Grid dismantled more than a decade ago.

"I can't speak for everybody, but I'd be fine" with it, Augenthaler said. Natural gas plants "are proven to be safe," he said. "They’ve been around for a long time. They’re efficient. They’re not perfectly clean, nothing is, but they’re relatively clean. And we have gas here already."