Latest news with #GlennChurch
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
PG&E plans to reopen lithium battery plant near Monterey County site burned in toxic fire
Four months after a massive fire ignited in Monterey County at one of the world's largest lithium-ion battery storage facilities, Pacific Gas & Electric said it intends to reactivate an adjacent battery site by June to meet summer energy demands. The plan comes over the objections of county officials who requested that both facilities remain offline until the cause of the January fire in rural Moss Landing is determined. "I had hoped that PG&E would take a more transparent and collaborative approach in addressing the concerns of our surrounding communities, which are still grappling with the fallout of the largest BESS [battery energy storage system] fire in history," Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church wrote on Facebook on May 8. "Restarting operations before investigations are complete and before stronger emergency protocols are in place is disappointing and deeply troubling," he said. The PG&E facility is one of two battery energy storage systems at the Moss Landing power complex near Monterey Bay. The other is owned by Texas-based Vistra Corp. The batteries store excess energy generated during the day and release it into the power grid during times of high demand, including evening hours. Both facilities have been offline since Jan. 16, when a Vistra-owned building containing 99,000 LG battery modules caught fire, spewing toxic gases into the air and prompting the evacuation of some 1,500 people. The adjacent Elkhorn Battery Energy Storage Facility — which is owned by PG&E and maintained by both the utility company and Tesla — did not burn. But it automatically shut down when its safety equipment detected the fire in the Vistra building. The Elkhorn energy storage facility includes 256 stationary Tesla Megapacks — essentially shipping container-sized units filled with battery modules. The Megapacks, according to PG&E, stand on 33 concrete slaps at the Elkhorn facility. In a May 7 letter to Chris Lopez, chairman of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, PG&E vice presidents Dave Gabbard and Teresa Alvarado said "Tesla and PG&E have performed extensive inspection and clean-up" at the Elkhorn Facility and intend to restart it by June 1. After the fire, each of the Megapacks was disassembled and vacuum-cleaned, and environmental monitoring was conducted on and around the site, Gabbard and Alvarado wrote. "The Elkhorn Facility, as constructed, allows for efficient storage and use of power," they wrote. "As summer approaches, that power is necessary to effectively manage the demands of the California power grid and to protect PG&E's customers from power limitations and related impacts." A PG&E statement provided to The Times said: "We understand that the safety and well-being of our community is of utmost importance." The battery facility, the statement reads, provides "cost savings for electric customers" and helps "support the state's decarbonization goals." In his May 8 Facebook post, Church, whose district includes Moss Landing, wrote that the Board of Supervisors on Jan. 22 sent a letter to PG&E and Vistra requesting that their facilities not return to operation until 'the cause of the Vistra fire, as well as a previous fire at the PG&E battery storage facility, are determined and appropriately addressed.' Read more: 'Horrifying' fire at California lithium battery plant sparks calls for new clean energy rules That letter, he wrote, also requested that both companies develop "robust emergency response plans — based on a 'catastrophic worst-case scenario' involving full facility conflagration" for the county and other relevant agencies to review. Although emergency response plans are required by law, he added, existing state standards "are limited in scope and do not provide the level of detail or realism" that county officials needed to ensure public safety. "In previous discussions, PG&E indicated that a return to service would not occur until much later this year or beyond," Church wrote. County officials have "expressed concern" about the return to service and have reached out to facility operators to ensure emergency plans "adequately provide for the safety of the surrounding communities and the environment," Nick Pasculli, a Monterey County spokesman, said in a statement provided Thursday. "At this time, however, the County feels it is prudent to encourage PG&E to delay reactivation and continue to engage in additional open, transparent dialogue with County officials, first responders, and the residents we collectively serve," the statement reads. According to a Vistra website detailing the aftermath of the fire, an internal investigation is ongoing, and the cause of the blaze "remains unknown." A California Public Utilities Commission investigation into the blaze also is ongoing, Terrie Prosper, a spokesperson for the regulatory agency, told The Times. Vistra's battery energy storage system stands on the old site of the Moss Landing Power Plant, a gas-powered facility — originally built and operated by PG&E — whose twin smokestacks have towered over the region since 1950. Vistra acquired the plant in 2018 and demolished it to make way for the battery facilities, leaving the iconic smokestacks behind. In a February statement, PG&E noted that the Vistra facilities are 'located adjacent to — but walled off and separate from — PG&E's Moss Landing electric substation." In September 2022, a fire ignited in a single Tesla Megapack at PG&E's Elkhorn facility, five months after the battery energy storage system came online. The blaze, monitored by first responders, was allowed to burn itself out and had visible flames for about six hours, according to an investigation report by Energy Safety Response Group, an independent consulting firm. PG&E, in its letter this month to the county, said the cause of that fire was water that had entered the Megapack "due to the improper installation of deflagration vent shield panels." Tesla made fixes to all 256 Megapacks after the blaze, the utility company wrote. The longer, more destructive Vistra fire this year cast a pall over the clean energy industry in California, which in recent years has become more reliant upon renewable energy, electric vehicles and other battery-powered devices as state officials push to dramatically reduce planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. The Vistra blaze prompted calls for additional safety regulations around battery storage, as well as more local control over where storage sites are located. Firefighters allowed the Vistra blaze to burn itself out, citing the dangers of dousing lithium-ion battery fires with water, which can cause dangerous chemical reactions. The fire, contained to a single building, smoldered for several days in mid-January. Read more: 'Extremely disturbing': High levels of heavy metals at Monterey estuary after lithium battery site fire In late January, scientists at San José State University recorded a dramatic increase in nickel, manganese and cobalt — materials used in lithium-ion batteries — in soil samples at the Elkhorn Slough Reserve, a nearby estuary that is home to several endangered species. The damaged Vistra building — filled with both burned and unaffected lithium-ion batteries — remained volatile. On Feb. 18, the fire reignited and burned for several hours. Vistra wrote on its website that "additional instances of smoke and flare-ups are a possibility given the nature of this situation and the damage to the batteries." "Since the January 16 fire, Vistra has brought in a private professional fire brigade that is onsite 24/7 to monitor the Moss 300 building," the company wrote. Read more: Residents sue energy companies after massive toxic battery fire at Moss Landing That structure, a former turbine building, contained a 300-megawatt system made up of about 4,500 cabinets, with each containing 22 individual battery modules, Meranda Cohn, a Vistra spokesperson, told The Times in an email. Of the 99,000 individual battery modules in the building, she said, about 54,450 burned. "Demolition on the Moss 300 building will begin once all batteries have been safely removed and discharged, and all debris (concrete, steel, piping) has been removed from the site," Cohn wrote. In February, four residents who live near the facility sued Vistra, PG&E and LG Energy Solution, accusing the companies of failing to maintain adequate fire safety systems. They alleged that they were exposed to toxic smoke emissions that caused nosebleeds, headaches, respiratory problems and other health issues. Environmental advocate Erin Brockovich is working with law firm Singleton Schreiber on the suit. Times staff writer Clara Harter contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
15-05-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
PG&E plans to reopen lithium battery plant near Monterey County site burned in toxic fire
Four months after a massive fire ignited in Monterey County at one of the world's largest lithium-ion battery storage facilities, Pacific Gas & Electric said it intends to reactivate an adjacent battery site by June to meet summer energy demands. The plan comes over the objections of county officials who requested that both facilities remain offline until the cause of the January fire in rural Moss Landing is determined. 'I had hoped that PG&E would take a more transparent and collaborative approach in addressing the concerns of our surrounding communities, which are still grappling with the fallout of the largest BESS [battery energy storage system] fire in history,' Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church wrote on Facebook on May 8. 'Restarting operations before investigations are complete and before stronger emergency protocols are in place is disappointing and deeply troubling,' he said. The PG&E facility is one of two battery energy storage systems at the Moss Landing power complex near Monterey Bay. The other is owned by Texas-based Vistra Corp. The batteries store excess energy generated during the day and release it into the power grid during times of high demand, including evening hours. Both facilities have been offline since Jan. 16, when a Vistra-owned building containing 99,000 LG battery modules caught fire, spewing toxic gases into the air and prompting the evacuation of some 1,500 people. The adjacent Elkhorn Battery Energy Storage Facility — which is owned by PG&E and maintained by both the utility company and Tesla — did not burn. But it automatically shut down when its safety equipment detected the fire in the Vistra building. The Elkhorn energy storage facility includes 256 stationary Tesla Megapacks — essentially shipping container-sized units filled with battery modules. The Megapacks, according to PG&E, stand on 33 concrete slaps at the Elkhorn facility. In a May 7 letter to Chris Lopez, chairman of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, PG&E vice presidents Dave Gabbard and Teresa Alvarado said 'Tesla and PG&E have performed extensive inspection and clean-up' at the Elkhorn Facility and intend to restart it by June 1. After the fire, each of the Megapacks was disassembled and vacuum-cleaned, and environmental monitoring was conducted on and around the site, Gabbard and Alvarado wrote. 'The Elkhorn Facility, as constructed, allows for efficient storage and use of power,' they wrote. 'As summer approaches, that power is necessary to effectively manage the demands of the California power grid and to protect PG&E's customers from power limitations and related impacts.' A PG&E statement provided to The Times said: 'We understand that the safety and well-being of our community is of utmost importance.' The battery facility, the statement reads, provides 'cost savings for electric customers' and helps 'support the state's decarbonization goals.' In his May 8 Facebook post, Church, whose district includes Moss Landing, wrote that the Board of Supervisors on Jan. 22 sent a letter to PG&E and Vistra requesting that their facilities not return to operation until 'the cause of the Vistra fire, as well as a previous fire at the PG&E battery storage facility, are determined and appropriately addressed.' That letter, he wrote, also requested that both companies develop 'robust emergency response plans — based on a 'catastrophic worst-case scenario' involving full facility conflagration' for the county and other relevant agencies to review. Although emergency response plans are required by law, he added, existing state standards 'are limited in scope and do not provide the level of detail or realism' that county officials needed to ensure public safety. 'In previous discussions, PG&E indicated that a return to service would not occur until much later this year or beyond,' Church wrote. County officials have 'expressed concern' about the return to service and have reached out to facility operators to ensure emergency plans 'adequately provide for the safety of the surrounding communities and the environment,' Nick Pasculli, a Monterey County spokesman, said in a statement provided Thursday. 'At this time, however, the County feels it is prudent to encourage PG&E to delay reactivation and continue to engage in additional open, transparent dialogue with County officials, first responders, and the residents we collectively serve,' the statement reads. According to a Vistra website detailing the aftermath of the fire, an internal investigation is ongoing, and the cause of the blaze 'remains unknown.' A California Public Utilities Commission investigation into the blaze also is ongoing, Terrie Prosper, a spokesperson for the regulatory agency, told The Times. Vistra's battery energy storage system stands on the old site of the Moss Landing Power Plant, a gas-powered facility — originally built and operated by PG&E — whose twin smokestacks have towered over the region since 1950. Vistra acquired the plant in 2018 and demolished it to make way for the battery facilities, leaving the iconic smokestacks behind. In a February statement, PG&E noted that the Vistra facilities are 'located adjacent to — but walled off and separate from — PG&E's Moss Landing electric substation.' In September 2022, a fire ignited in a single Tesla Megapack at PG&E's Elkhorn facility, five months after the battery energy storage system came online. The blaze, monitored by first responders, was allowed to burn itself out and had visible flames for about six hours, according to an investigation report by Energy Safety Response Group, an independent consulting firm. PG&E, in its letter this month to the county, said the cause of that fire was water that had entered the Megapack 'due to the improper installation of deflagration vent shield panels.' Tesla made fixes to all 256 Megapacks after the blaze, the utility company wrote. The longer, more destructive Vistra fire this year cast a pall over the clean energy industry in California, which in recent years has become more reliant upon renewable energy, electric vehicles and other battery-powered devices as state officials push to dramatically reduce planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. The Vistra blaze prompted calls for additional safety regulations around battery storage, as well as more local control over where storage sites are located. Firefighters allowed the Vistra blaze to burn itself out, citing the dangers of dousing lithium-ion battery fires with water, which can cause dangerous chemical reactions. The fire, contained to a single building, smoldered for several days in mid-January. In late January, scientists at San José State University recorded a dramatic increase in nickel, manganese and cobalt — materials used in lithium-ion batteries — in soil samples at the Elkhorn Slough Reserve, a nearby estuary that is home to several endangered species. The damaged Vistra building — filled with both burned and unaffected lithium-ion batteries — remained volatile. On Feb. 18, the fire reignited and burned for several hours. Vistra wrote on its website that 'additional instances of smoke and flare-ups are a possibility given the nature of this situation and the damage to the batteries.' 'Since the January 16 fire, Vistra has brought in a private professional fire brigade that is onsite 24/7 to monitor the Moss 300 building,' the company wrote. That structure, a former turbine building, contained a 300-megawatt system made up of about 4,500 cabinets, with each containing 22 individual battery modules, Meranda Cohn, a Vistra spokesperson, told The Times in an email. Of the 99,000 individual battery modules in the building, she said, about 54,450 burned. 'Demolition on the Moss 300 building will begin once all batteries have been safely removed and discharged, and all debris (concrete, steel, piping) has been removed from the site,' Cohn wrote. In February, four residents who live near the facility sued Vistra, PG&E and LG Energy Solution, accusing the companies of failing to maintain adequate fire safety systems. They alleged that they were exposed to toxic smoke emissions that caused nosebleeds, headaches, respiratory problems and other health issues. Environmental advocate Erin Brockovich is working with law firm Singleton Schreiber on the suit. Times staff writer Clara Harter contributed to this report.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Fire ignites at Moss Landing Power Plant again
(KRON) — A new fire broke out at Moss Landing Power Plant Tuesday night when smoldering lithium-ion batteries reignited, officials said. Batteries burned inside the same building where a massive blaze broke out in January at Vistra's Battery Energy Storage System facility, officials said. The new fire is smaller than January 16's inferno. The County of Monterey's Department of Emergency Management urged residents who live near the power plant to keep their windows and doors closed because of smoke. Pajaro Valley Unified School District's superintendent sent a letter to parents on Wednesday morning, writing, 'We are aware of the fire at the Moss Landing power plant and the visible smoke in the air. PVUSD Maintenance & Operations Department is coordinating with the principals of our schools in Monterey County. At this time, out of an abundance of caution, the three schools, Hall District, Ohlone Elementary and Pajaro Middle, will keep windows and doors closed.' Air quality in the region remained 'good' on Wednesday, according to Monterey Bay Air Resources District officials. During the January 16 fire, flames spread from one lithium battery to another, county supervisors said. Firefighters said they couldn't battle the blaze because water does not stop battery fires. 'There is no proven way to put out one of these fires once it has reached this magnitude. Attempts to put out battery fires at other sites have only worsened the situation. Water is used initially only when the batteries start to heat, not when flames have emerged,' Supervisor Glenn Church previously wrote. Earlier this month, a lawsuit was filed against Vistra. National environmental advocate Erin Brockovich teamed up with law firm Singleton Schreiber to represent local residents. 'Defendants knew they were using dangerous lithium-ion batteries, housing them in what they knew was the most dangerous way, and ignored the safety of the community for their own profit,' attorneys wrote in the lawsuit. Vistra is an electricity and power generation company based in Irving, Texas. The Moss Landing Power Plant site is home to one of the world's biggest battery plants. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Horrifying' fire at California lithium battery plant sparks calls for new clean energy rules
When a massive fire erupted at one of the world's largest lithium-ion battery storage facilities in Monterey County, it didn't just send plumes of smoke over nearby communities — it cast a pall over the future of California's clean energy industry. The fire at the Moss Landing Power Plant, which ignited on Jan. 16, burned for five days and ultimately destroyed around 80% of the batteries inside the building. Now, as the smoke clears, Monterey-area officials warn that the blaze may be a harbinger as the state increases its reliance on renewable energy, electric vehicles and other battery-powered devices. "I know green is good, but we've got to move slowly," Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church told The Times. "What we're doing with this technology is way ahead of government regulations and ahead of the industry's ability to control it." The fire earlier this month was the fourth at Moss Landing since 2019, and the third at buildings owned by Texas-based Vistra Energy. The plant is off Highway 1, about 18 miles northeast of the city of Monterey. Read more: Monterey County officials call Moss Landing lithium battery storage fire a 'wake-up call' Already, the fire has prompted calls for additional safety regulations around battery storage, and more local control over where storage sites are located. Officials are also demanding that Moss Landing remain offline until an investigation can be completed and major safety improvements implemented. Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) has introduced Assembly Bill 303 — the Battery Energy Safety & Accountability Act — which would require local engagement in the permitting process for battery or energy storage facilities, and establish a buffer to keep such sites a set distance away from sensitive areas like schools, hospitals and natural habitats. "I believe that we are living in a climate crisis and that we need to have solutions," Addis said at a news conference Thursday. "But along with those solutions, we have to be able to have safety." Gov. Gavin Newsom, a fierce advocate of clean energy, agrees an investigation is needed to determine the fire's cause and supports taking steps to make Moss Landing and similar facilities safer, his spokesperson Daniel Villaseñor said in a statement. Read more: Battery storage is a key piece of California's clean energy transition. But there's a problem with fires Addis and two other state legislators sent a letter to the California Public Utilities Commission Thursday requesting an investigation. "The Moss Landing facility has represented a pivotal piece of our state's energy future, however this disastrous fire has undermined the public's trust in utility scale lithium-ion battery energy storage systems," states the letter. "If we are to ensure California moves its climate and energy goals forward, we must demonstrate a steadfast commitment to safety." Vistra has promised an internal investigation into the incident, and to conduct soil testing and fully cooperate with any state or local investigations. During an emergency briefing after the fire broke out, officials said a plume released from the plant contained hydrogen fluoride, a toxic compound, according to county spokesperson Nick Pasculli. However, initial testing from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ruled that the levels of toxic gases released by the batteries, including hydrogen fluoride, did not pose a threat to public health during the fire. Read more: Lithium-ion batteries causing fires, dangers on California freeways, sparking calls for safety improvements Still, many residents remain on edge about potential long-term impacts on the nearby communities of Watsonville, Castroville, Salinas and the ecologically sensitive Elkhorn Slough estuary. "Having to experience and witness that kind of assault, not just on the people, but on the trees and the environment in general was horrifying," local resident Silvia Morales told The Times. "The aftereffects might be long term, and I'm seriously concerned about the fact that the plant is adjacent to organic farms that are producing food." Several factors contributed to the rapid spread of the fire and complicated firefighters' response, according to North County Fire District Chief Joel Mendoza. A fire suppression system that is part of every battery rack at the plant failed and led to a chain reaction of batteries catching on fire, he said at a news conference last week. Then, a broken camera system in the plant and superheated gases made it challenging for firefighters to intervene. Once the fire began spreading, firefighters were not able to use water, because doing so can trigger a violent chemical reaction in lithium-ion batteries, potentially causing more to ignite or explode. Read more: Big rig with lithium ion batteries flips in San Pedro, sparking hazardous fire, closing freeway The scale of the fire startled local residents and officials, who have already experienced several smaller fires at the plant and are worried about what could happen if major changes aren't made. Exacerbating those concerns is a new battery storage site proposed in an unincorporated part of Santa Cruz County near Watsonville. An online petition to halt the establishment of any more battery storage facilities in Monterey or Santa Cruz counties has collected more than 2,900 signatures. The Monterey County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to declare a local state of emergency and to send a letter to Vistra and Pacific Gas and Electric Co., which also stores batteries at the plant, to request that their operations remain offline until an investigation is complete. Local resident Ed Mitchell, who was speaking on behalf of a newly formed community group called the Moss Landing Fire Community Recovery Group, told supervisors that the potential of electric batteries is exciting. But, he added, it's a 'technology that when it goes wrong, it's not thrilling, it's terrifying.' Times staff writer Nathan Solis contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
26-01-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
‘Horrifying' fire at California lithium battery plant sparks calls for new clean energy rules
When a massive fire erupted at one of the world's largest lithium-ion battery storage facilities in Monterey County, it didn't just send plumes of smoke over nearby communities — it cast a pall over the future of California's clean energy industry. The fire at the Moss Landing Power Plant, which ignited on Jan. 16, burned for five days and ultimately destroyed around 80% of the batteries inside the building. Now, as the smoke clears, Monterey-area officials warn that the blaze may be a harbinger as the state increases its reliance on renewable energy, electric vehicles and other battery-powered devices. 'I know green is good, but we've got to move slowly,' Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church told The Times. 'What we're doing with this technology is way ahead of government regulations and ahead of the industry's ability to control it.' The fire earlier this month was the fourth at Moss Landing since 2019, and the third at buildings owned by Texas-based Vistra Energy. The plant is off Highway 1, about 18 miles northeast of the city of Monterey. Already, the fire has prompted calls for additional safety regulations around battery storage, and more local control over where storage sites are located. Officials are also demanding that Moss Landing remain offline until an investigation can be completed and major safety improvements implemented. Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) has introduced Assembly Bill 303 — the Battery Energy Safety & Accountability Act — which would require local engagement in the permitting process for battery or energy storage facilities, and establish a buffer to keep such sites a set distance away from sensitive areas like schools, hospitals and natural habitats. 'I believe that we are living in a climate crisis and that we need to have solutions,' Addis said at a news conference Thursday. 'But along with those solutions, we have to be able to have safety.' Gov. Gavin Newsom, a fierce advocate of clean energy, agrees an investigation is needed to determine the fire's cause and supports taking steps to make Moss Landing and similar facilities safer, his spokesperson Daniel Villaseñor said in a statement. Addis and two other state legislators sent a letter to the California Public Utilities Commission Thursday requesting an investigation. 'The Moss Landing facility has represented a pivotal piece of our state's energy future, however this disastrous fire has undermined the public's trust in utility scale lithium-ion battery energy storage systems,' states the letter. 'If we are to ensure California moves its climate and energy goals forward, we must demonstrate a steadfast commitment to safety.' Vistra has promised an internal investigation into the incident, and to conduct soil testing and fully cooperate with any state or local investigations. During an emergency briefing after the fire broke out, officials said a plume released from the plant contained hydrogen fluoride, a toxic compound, according to county spokesperson Nick Pasculli. However, initial testing from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ruled that the levels of toxic gases released by the batteries, including hydrogen fluoride, did not pose a threat to public health during the fire. Still, many residents remain on edge about potential long-term impacts on the nearby communities of Watsonville, Castroville, Salinas and the ecologically sensitive Elkhorn Slough estuary. 'Having to experience and witness that kind of assault, not just on the people, but on the trees and the environment in general was horrifying,' local resident Silvia Morales told The Times. 'The aftereffects might be long term, and I'm seriously concerned about the fact that the plant is adjacent to organic farms that are producing food.' Several factors contributed to the rapid spread of the fire and complicated firefighters' response, according to North County Fire District Chief Joel Mendoza. A fire suppression system that is part of every battery rack at the plant failed and led to a chain reaction of batteries catching on fire, he said at a news conference last week. Then, a broken camera system in the plant and superheated gases made it challenging for firefighters to intervene. Once the fire began spreading, firefighters were not able to use water, because doing so can trigger a violent chemical reaction in lithium-ion batteries, potentially causing more to ignite or explode. The scale of the fire startled local residents and officials, who have already experienced several smaller fires at the plant and are worried about what could happen if major changes aren't made. Exacerbating those concerns is a new battery storage site proposed in an unincorporated part of Santa Cruz County near Watsonville. An online petition to halt the establishment of any more battery storage facilities in Monterey or Santa Cruz counties has collected more than 2,900 signatures. The Monterey County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to declare a local state of emergency and to send a letter to Vistra and Pacific Gas and Electric Co., which also stores batteries at the plant, to request that their operations remain offline until an investigation is complete. Local resident Ed Mitchell, who was speaking on behalf of a newly formed community group called the Moss Landing Fire Community Recovery Group, told supervisors that the potential of electric batteries is exciting. But, he added, it's a 'technology that when it goes wrong, it's not thrilling, it's terrifying.' Times staff writer Nathan Solis contributed to this report.
