"Today, we deliver on that commitment by securing this property and ensuring that the Port Jefferson community has this beloved greenway permanently preserved while also allowing the MTA to plan for long-term upgrades to LIRR service for tens of thousands of riders," Hochul said in a statement.

In the release, Commission Chair Rory M. Christian said commissioners granted approval after weighing "a thorough record demonstrating that this critical infrastructure project meets our statutory siting standards and will help provide needed power downstate."

Battery energy storage is critical infrastructure — which in turn means jobs and investment. When Long Island builds a utility-scale battery project, electricians, operating engineers, laborers, ironworkers and Teamsters go to work. Apprentices earn while they learn.