In today's newscast:
Monterey County supervisor sees Watsonville battery storage power struggle as cautionary tale
New Leaf Energy—the company looking to build a battery energy storage system (BESS) in Watsonville—has decided to seek state approval for its project, rather than wait for Santa Cruz County to finalize local regulations.
“That's the one thing you do not want to have happen,” said Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church, whose district includes Moss Landing.
The January 2025 battery fire in Moss Landing created a sense of urgency for Central Coast counties to adopt their own regulations for new BESS facilities.
Under Assembly Bill 205, renewable energy companies like New Leaf can choose to seek permits from the California Energy Commission or from county governments.
“A.B. 205 allows a company to go completely around a local jurisdiction and go straight to the state,” Church said.
Doing so is slightly more difficult if a county has its own BESS safety laws in place—a process currently underway in Monterey County.
“I want something to happen as fast as we can,” Church said, “because I do not want us to end up in a situation such as Santa Cruz County.”
What happened there is that the county was working on developing regulations while New Leaf was actively proposing a new BESS.
Ultimately, the company lost patience, went around the county, and is now looking to the state for a permit.
For Church, this reinforces the need to get a Monterey County ordinance across the finish line quickly.
“People have a right to decide what happens in their communities,” he said. “They have a right to have full input.”
Still, it will likely be several months before a draft ordinance comes before the Board of Supervisors for a vote.
Panetta introduces BESS Act
On a related note—Central Coast Democratic Congressman Jimmy Panetta introduced federal legislation on May 8 to bolster BESS safety standards.
