Assemblymember Addis introduces new bill focused on battery facility safety

MOSS LANDING, Calif. (KION-TV) -- A new bill has been introduced to put up stronger safeguards and protections for future battery storage facilities.

The Battery Energy Safety & Accountability Act, or AB 303, was introduced by Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) alongside Monterey County District 2 Supervisor Glenn Church. The bill is aimed at finding reasonable requirements for future locations on where to create battery facilites alongwith solutions on how to prevent similiar fires.

"Our true goal is to guarantee safety for the community and make sure that we are moving forward effectively and collaboratively with local residents, businesses, and all who surround Moss Landing to know they will be safe," Addis said.

The introduction of the bill is one week since the Vistra Energy fire broke out at the Moss Landing Power Plant last Thursday afternoon. Concerns over the air quality and surroudning areas arose as one of the largest lithium-ion battery facilties in the world continued to burn into the night.

Despite the fire dying down the next day, a flare-up sparked the next day before the fire went back to burning itself out. Supervisor Church has been a vocal about his own conerns around the facility and the aftermath that continues.

"We just can't keep going ahead without the proper regulations," Church said. "As I've said before, and I will say again, we're at a point where government regulations and control of this technology by industry is no up to where it should be.

Both Addis and Church hope that with the introduction of AB 303, future incidents involving battery facilties can be prevented. Prior to the Vistra Energy fire, the Tesla Megapack battery facility caught fire in 2022.