"Responding to a major fire in January at a battery storage plant in Moss Landing that sent a toxic cloud over a wide area and caused the evacuations of residents and the closure of Highway 1, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors late Tuesday took the first steps toward a ban on new battery plants in the county for a year or more while new safety rules are drafted. Without comment, the supervisors allowed the proposal from Supervisor Glenn Church, whose district includes Moss Landing, to move forward. It requires the county staff in 30 days to draw up language for a moratorium on the construction of new plants or the expansion of existing ones, and deliver it to the supervisors for a vote."
""I'm trying to address a way for the county to have some input into sensitive areas like Moss Landing, but also elsewhere throughout the county," Church said during the meeting. Church said earlier this week that he hopes Monterey County will pass local rules affecting where battery storage plants can be built, fire safety, emergency management policies, and post-fire cleanup rules. "We really need to have a set of ordinances that will address the health and safety of people in the community as well as the environment," he added at Tuesday's meeting."
"A fire on Jan. 16 at the Moss Landing Plant - which is owned by Vistra, a Texas-based energy company - was the largest battery storage fire ever in the United States and made national news. It burned for two days, incinerating more than 50,000 batteries and sending a toxic cloud over Monterey Bay and nearby communities. Authorities evacuated 1,200 local residents, many of whom complained of headaches, breathing problems and other issues afterward. The fire raised questions about the safety of battery storage facilities that are being proposed and built across California and other states."
A major January fire at the Moss Landing battery storage plant sent a toxic cloud, forced evacuations, and closed Highway 1. The Monterey County Board of Supervisors moved to require county staff to draft moratorium language within 30 days to pause new plants or expansions for a year or more. Supervisor Glenn Church seeks local ordinances on siting, fire safety, emergency management, and post-fire cleanup to protect public health and the environment. The Moss Landing blaze destroyed over 50,000 batteries, burned for two days, evacuated 1,200 residents, and prompted statewide safety concerns about battery facilities.
Read at The Mercury News
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