Watsonville writer Eduardo Hurtado believes community concerns about New Leaf Energy’s proposed battery storage project outside Watsonville should be a red flag to the state to look more closely at the plan and what might happen in an emergency. He worries about New Leaf’s choice to pursue approval for the facility through California’s energy commission rather than continuing in Santa Cruz County. The Minto Road facility sits close to the College Lake water storage project, he writes, a key part of South County’s water system. Hurtado insists that this sensitive location requires extra scrutiny of land and water infrastructure and argues that the state must fully assess water safety, emergency risks and local impacts before moving forward.
