04/04/2025
Great letter to the editor about our BESS situation in Vacaville
āOne year ago, Vacaville had one of the biggest community meetings and it centered around safety. A very large lithium-ion battery energy storage storage(BESS) was proposed to be built near a neighborhood in North Vacaville. Having a large project like that raised serious safety concerns, these facilities can catch fire in an uncontrollable process called āthermal runaway.ā They can emit toxic gases and particulate into the air and they canāt be extinguished, so they can burn for days. Our community respectfully asked Vacaville City Council to vote no on the project and they did. Thankfully, Menard Energy was defeated 7-0.
Since that time, there has been a significant uptick in interested parties wanting to build these systems due to Vacavilleās very large PG&E substation near highway 80. Our City and County, realizing the need to do some research, and create a permit process with safety parameters, placed temporary moratoriums on these facilities for 2 years.
Unfortunately, as we sit today, the energy companies have found a work around. A bill passed in 2022 gives all authority to the STATE to permit BESS, and bypass our local authority, including our moratoriums. We now have one project going through this path and they have officially started the application process. This project would be located on 40 acres of prime agricultural land, SID water canals, homes and highway 80. This company also purchased another parcel in the Vacaville City limits they plan to use as an alternative. A second company has informed the county they plan to use the same state process. The second project would be near the same neighborhood that our city council voted NO to protect last year.
This is quickly becoming a problem. Because thereās no site selection criteria and BESS have little regulations. If nothing is done, our city could have multiple BESS projects scattered across North Vacaville haphazardly with no control of where they are located.
On January 16, 2025 Monterey County declared a state of emergency as the Vistra Moss Landing BESS caught fire, urgently evacuating 1,200 residents. Recent reports found that heavy metal contamination tied to the fire were found within 2 miles of the site and contaminated a sensitive habitat for sea otters. Residents in the area are reporting health effects, burning eyes, metallic taste etc. they believe is due to the exposure of the burned batteries. Assembly Member Dawn Addis (D) that represents this district, has proposed new legislation, in response to the disaster, AB303 āThe Battery Energy Safety and Accountability Act.ā This bill aims to remove the state permit process for BESS. It also requires 3200ft setbacks from homes, schools and hospitals. It would prohibit these projects from being built on protected habitats and prime AG land.
Vacaville and Solano County would benefit greatly by this bill passing. Since there is no effective extinguishing method for BESS fires, the best method to keep our communities safe is controlling where they are placed. We need to be able to permit them where they wonāt pose a hazard to our people and the environment. Please encourage our assembly members and senators to support this important bill as our safety depends on it.
Please encourage our assembly members and senators to support this important bill as our safety depends on it.
