Santa Cruz County took a small step this week toward developing a policy to regulate battery energy storage systems (BESS).
At almost the same time, Monterey County supervisors were having a similar conversation.
"We just can’t have somebody come in here while we don’t have an ordinance," said District 2 Supervisor Glenn Church, during a Nov. 18 meeting. "We gotta develop an ordinance."
The heart of the issue for both counties is the idea of local control.
Currently, companies can apply with the state for permits to build and run a BESS. They don’t have to go through the county. But, if counties have ordinances governing BESS facilities, a company can instead choose to go the local route. That could mean more community support.
Santa Cruz County Supervisor Justin Cummings says creating a local ordinance signals support for the technology. "But we want it to be done in a way that’s really gonna meet the needs of the community," he said during a Nov. 18 meeting.
Here's the challenge—the state’s climate goals demand a lot more renewable energy storage, fast. Local government is often slow.
An actual BESS regulation policy wasn’t on the agenda at either Board of Supervisors meeting this week.
In Santa Cruz County, they were deciding whether to start a year-long process to develop an ordinance. Even that was delayed.
In Monterey County, they were weighing whether to enact a temporary moratorium on new BESS facilities. That didn’t happen either.
Instead, the Monterey supervisors told staff to look for a consultant who could analyze regulations in other places, alongside changes in state law, for the eventual purpose of developing a local policy.
It’s unclear when that policy would come to the Board for a vote.
So, while supervisors in both counties recognize time is of the essence, their deliberation and due diligence are slow going.
