Quick Take
The fire that raged at Moss Landing’s lithium-ion battery storage facility on Jan. 16 are a stark reminder of the risks communities take when placing projects in their districts. Assemblymember Dawn Addis has proposed legislation – AB 303, the Battery Energy Safety and Accountability Act – which would create commonsense siting requirements for potentially hazardous battery energy storage systems. She makes the case for the bill here.
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The recent fire at Vistra Energy’s battery energy storage facility in Moss Landing is a wake-up call. It is more than just an isolated incident and a stark reminder of the risks tied to lithium-ion battery energy storage. It highlights the urgent need to rethink not just how we build lithium-ion battery energy storage, but where we build it – and whether local communities have a say in the process.
Opponents to commonsense guardrails are saying that any kind of regulation is an irrational overreaction. Their arguments, that thoughtful regulation and siting requirements will be catastrophic to California’s energy goals, are an age-old method of leveraging the fear we all have about our changing climate.
The truth couldn’t be more different.
Climate action hinges on solutions that prioritize public health, environmental safety and community input. Yet, California’s current system allows large energy companies to bypass local oversight, situating battery energy storage projects in ways that could put communities and ecosystems at risk. We cannot repeat the mistakes of the past that caused harm to human and environmental health and sidelined the voices of millions of Californians.
On Jan. 16, the Vistra battery energy storage facility at Moss Landing erupted into flames, burning for six days. Lithium-ion battery fires cannot be extinguished with water; instead, water makes the fire spread or explode. During the fire, over 1,200 residents were evacuated with fear of the unknown, Highway 1 was shut down, and local businesses lost tens of thousands of dollars. Moss Landing Marine Lab scientists have found dangerous levels of heavy metals in the soil near the Elkhorn Slough Reserve, and UC Santa Cruz scientists are concerned the endangered sea otters who live in the slough could be ingesting these metals.
We have yet to understand the effects on nearby prime agricultural land, our community, or the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. We continue to receive reports of health problems related to the fire.
Unfortunately, this is not the first lithium battery fire in California, or even at Moss Landing. The California Energy Commission (CEC) and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) cite at least 10 major incidents in the past five years.
According to the CEC, “California is a world leader in energy storage with the largest fleet of batteries.” Battery energy storage capacity has increased over 3000% between 2018 and 2025 via the local permitting processes, showing that local permitting works. Meanwhile, a 2022 budget trailer bill – Assembly Bill 205 – gave developers a loophole to bypass local processes and instead seek state approval. Just last year, Vistra announced its intention to opt into the 205 process in Morro Bay. Developers are also opting in to CEC streamlining in Fresno, Imperial, San Bernardino, Orange and Alameda counties – areas with underserved communities that deserve a voice in their clean energy future.
To ensure battery energy storage projects are safe and sustainable, we must do three things:
- Restore local oversight to the permitting process.
- Establish appropriate zoning to protect homes, schools, hospitals, farmland and sensitive ecosystems.
- Improve safety and oversight. While the CPUC is already improving safety, the legislature must restore the voice of local Californians and ensure proper siting of battery energy storage.
Opponents claim local permitting and appropriate siting will eradicate clean energy progress. That is a false, reactionary scare tactic.
These claims ignore two important realities: The purpose of battery energy storage is to create climate solutions that improve public and environmental health and safety and any clean energy future requires trust from the public.
As an international climate leader, California must get both the technology and processes right if others are going to follow. This is essential when the federal government is rebuking environmental protections and regulations at every turn. We cannot let fear force us to repeat mistakes of the past by imposing potentially dangerous and polluting battery energy storage on communities without their input and real protections.
Climate solutions require public engagement and public voice; AB 303, the Battery Energy Safety and Accountability Act, does just that. It requires the creation of common-sense siting requirements for potentially hazardous battery energy storage.
I urge my colleagues in local and state government, and climate and environmental champions everywhere, to stand with California’s communities. We need climate solutions that uphold justice, safety, and sustainability.
Dawn Addis is the District 30 Assemblymember. District 30 spans the coastline from mid-Santa Cruz County to southern San Luis Obispo County.