Nina Keller: Cradle-to Grave or NIMBY?

New Leaf Energy proposeda 105-megawatt battery storage facility off Wendell Depot Road in Wendell.

New Leaf Energy proposeda 105-megawatt battery storage facility off Wendell Depot Road in Wendell. CONTRIBUTED

Published: 08-27-2024 6:14 PM

The current plan by New Leaf Energy corporation to clear-cut and then erect a large standalone lithium battery storage facility in Wendell has been temporarily deflected. Corporations flaunting themselves as proponents of “green” technology are actively considering other sites.

Wendell awaits the state attorney general’s ruling on our town bylaw passed at Town Meeting, 100-1, to protect health and welfare. Leverett is the only county town that sent a letter to the AG urging approval of our bylaw and therefore of town rights and home rule.

Decades ago, along with other county volunteers, I was trained by a representative from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to be a town hazardous waste coordinator. “Cradle-to-grave” was the phrase assigned to the challenge of responsibly handling toxic wastes. The slogan was a sensible, balanced and conscientious approach to assure an ecological solution.

Was that mere theory, and does our current democratic state government retain that moral code, or is prioritizing the environment an illusion?

Our society opts to use toxic chemicals. Thus, an environmentally sound means to dispose of or handle waste products must be included in the processes. In the urgency society places on electric lifestyles, dominant research remains directed toward the generation of more power rather than teaching conservation, re-use and sustainability. An inclusive spectrum in the use of lithium batteries is prudent if one is prioritizing planetary distress and ethics.

There is opposition to toxicity and the destructive impact on nature. Added to an untenable mix of problems stemming from battery projects to store energy, is the current, unpublicized and depraved method of disposal of spent lithium batteries. There are increasing numbers of batteries from electric vehicles, home appliances and the accelerating number of large-scale battery storage facilities, whether in conjunction with solar generation or not.

The ship that destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Delaware this past March was laden with spent lithium batteries in transit to Sri Lanka. The practice of shipping waste elsewhere has far-ranging political and moral implications. Consequences abound when the U.S. relies upon lithium destructively mined elsewhere. I refer to any domestic mining community, perhaps richer in taxes yet poorer in health.

Waste responsibilities remain a priority. Will you be labeled a “Not In My Backyard” NIMBY? Let the evidence rest.

Nina Keller

Wendell