BILL NUMBER: S1886

SPONSOR: WALCZYK
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the public service law, in relation to requiring solar
facilities to conspicuously post safety data sheets in areas that may be
accessed by emergency responders in the case of a fire or other emergen-
cy

 
PURPOSE:

This bill would require solar farms to post safety data sheets in visi-
ble areas for emergency purposes.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Amends the public service law by adding a new section, 66w.
First, this section provides definitions for "solar farm" as well as
"safety data sheet". The second part requires that safety data sheets be
conspicuously posted in areas that emergency responders would likely
access in the case of a fire or other emergency.
              

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Lithium-ion batteries are known to cause explosive accidents. When
ignited, they create an extreme amount of fire because of "thermal runa-
way". These fires also result in the release of flammable gas, which can
make the fires worse and more difficult to put out.

In these situations, it is crucial for first responders to have the
necessary tools to fight these unusual, but increasingly common, catas-
trophes. At a recent lithium-ion battery fire in Chaumont, it took emer-
gency responders over six hours to obtain the necessary information to
fight the fire. Because of the delay, the blaze spread and let out many
gasses into the environment. Questions are still lingering about water
and air quality in the area.

This bill would require safety data sheets (SDS) to be posted conspicu-
ously on solar facilities. In case there is an emergency, these SDS
documents would inform emergency responders on how to fight the fire
effectively. This bill would also require these sheets to be posted in a
visible area for emergency responders; this would stop what happened in
Chaumont from happening again. While the issue of emergency response to
lithium-ion battery fires is complex, this bill presents a simple step
to making responses to these events more efficient.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

A7279-A/S7006 (2023): Referred to Energy and Telecommunications

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None to the state.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Effective immediately.