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Assemblywoman Addis opposed to Morro Bay battery storage facility

January 21, 2025

Assemblywoman Dawn Addis

By KAREN VELIE

Following the huge fire that ignited at the Vistra battery storage facility in Moss Landing, more than a hundred Central Coast residents called and sent emails to Assemblywoman Dawn Addis’ office voicing their concerns regarding plans for a larger battery storage facility in Morro Bay.

On Jan. 16, the fire broke out at the 300-megawatt battery storage facility in Moss Landing. Because of the presence of lithium-ion batteries, firefighters did not engaging the blaze while roads were closed and people were evacuated.

Vistra plans to construct and operate a 600-megawatt battery storage facility in Morro Bay, twice the sie of the Moss landing facility. Even before the Moss landing fire, mutiple residents had voiced concerns the facility would endanger the public while negatively impacting tourism and the fishing industry.

On Sunday, Addis, who previously supported the proposed battery storage facility, posted a statement on Facebook asking Vistra to cancel its plan to construct the Morro Bay facility.

“While we urgently need climate solutions, they must be safe for our communities and environment,” Addis said on Facebook.

“With that in mind, I am calling on Vistra to end its plans for a battery energy storage facility in Morro Bay and urging the California Energy Commission and The California Coastal Commission to reject their permitting application under AB 205.

“For the past four days, my full attention has been on the battery energy storage system fire at the Moss Landing Power Plant in Monterey County. We can never have a disaster like this again. We all deserve solutions that prioritize safety and sustainability.”

Dawn Addis was elected to the California State Assembly in 2022 to represent the coastal 30th Assembly District, which includes large portions of San Luis Obispo and Monterey Counties and the south-eastern area of Santa Cruz County.

 


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According to an expert on battery storage from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,


“I like making decisions based on data, and I encourage others to do the same. I think one of the most important datasets that we need to see is whether or not there was any toxic emissions that were actually measurable, either airborne as far down the smoke column as could be measured or where people were, as well as any surface contamination.” (The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Wednesday that its air monitoring of the site during and after the fire showed “no risk to public health” from the incident, based on testing for hydrogen fluoride and particulate matter.)”


I wonder how many oil fires had “no risk to public health.” I urge Ms. Addis to consider all the evidence before she opposes the Vistra plant.


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“no risk to public health”

The particulate matter put in the air from a fire in a battery storage facility poses no risk?

I have to ask, “what color is the sky” in the EPA’s world?

Any particulate matter put in the air from Fire poses some level of risk and often those risk factors are not identified until we see spikes in lung ailments, childhood cancer rates and other illnesses.

Not arguing that storing electricity is bad, but common, you want people to pretend “there’s nothing to see here folks” based on that statement from the EPA? Trump’s EPA?


0

California-Only EV’s sold by 2035.

EV’s need electricity to charge.

PG and E started the Camp Fire and Dixie Fire and many more.


Southern California Edison started Eaton Fire.

Fires create intense pollution and toxic smoke.

No one wants lithium batteries disposed of or stored in their community

because of their toxicity.

PG and E and Southern CA Edison have paid and will pay huge


settlements for their part in starting the fires.

To recoup their losses they have and will continue to jack up the cost to


their customers.

Even with solar, customers still have to pay PG and E hundreds if not

thousand of dollars per year on top of the cost of their solar system

because laws change to benefit everyone but the customer.

Why do I feel like I’m bending over and getting sc—ed.


0

A shameful about face by an obviously gutless politician. I hope the good taxpayers of Morro Bay don’t squawk too much when fees and sales tax increase as the city is left on the hook for the millions of dollars it will require to take down those smokestacks before they tumble down on their heads.


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