You only have to look southward at the flames and poisonous smoke coming from Moss Landing to know what deregulation looks like.
We have a new president promising to deregulate industry and make America more profitable. But at what expense?
The Moss Landing fire is terrifying, not just because it can’t be put out, but because the hazardous chemicals coming from it are landing on the country’s richest agricultural salad bowl and the surrounding protected Elkhorn Slough and Marine Sanctuary.
It’s a serious quandary. On one hand, the battery units are designed to store solar and wind energy and move away from fossil fuels, an environmentalist’s dream. On the other hand, chemicals in the batteries are so toxic and unstable, there is no way to quench them when they burst into flames, which has happened four times already.
Why should we care? There are three more of these units proposed in Santa Cruz County near hospitals and schools.
Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church noted that the Moss Landing battery operation by Vistra Energy was approved with no arguments.
“When I took office two years ago, I accepted several tours of the Vistra facility, including a tour inside the building that burned,” he wrote. “The facility and its safety systems appeared impressive. I was personally given the guarantee that a fire similar to the one that occurred in 2022 at the neighboring PG&E/Tesla operation could not happen at Vistra. We know that is not true. This disaster is worse.”
He added: “With this being the fourth fire incident in a little over five years in Moss Landing, it is obvious that this technology is ahead of both government’s ability to regulate it and private industry’s ability to control it…
“…Both battery storage facilities initially passed the county permit process, including public hearings, with little to no opposition. Vistra got its first permit in 2020. It was approved by the Planning Commission and never appealed to the Board of Supervisors. It was that uncontroversial at the time.”
Conclusion? We don’t need deregulation, we need careful, intelligent study and regulation.
On the positive front: check out our Health and Wellness stories in this issue for important tips on keeping fit.
Thanks for reading.
Brad Kava | Editor
PHOTO CONTEST
SUNSET SEASON Twin Lakes Beach wins this week’s picturesque sundown. Photograph by Cole Leonard
GOOD IDEA
Waste Free Santa Cruz is teaming up with 37 local coffee shops to launch the Just Bring It—BYO Coffee Cup Campaign, a community-wide effort to reduce the environmental impact of single-use coffee cups. Starting Jan. 18, the campaign aims to inspire residents, students and visitors to bring their own reusable cups when buying coffee, with a goal to cut single-use cup waste by 20% within three months.
An estimated 10,000+ coffee cups go to the landfill daily in Santa Cruz.
Participating businesses will offer rewards to customers who bring their own reusable cups. Go to JustBringIt.org for a map of all locations.
GOOD WORK
The Santa Cruz City Council has taken steps to help businesses at the Municipal Wharf after last month’s collapse of part of it. There will be free two-hour parking on the wharf through February; rent relief for wharf tenants during the closure period; and they will spend $50,000 in promotional efforts to highlight the wharf as a vibrant destination and up to $25,000 in financial assistance for impacted wharf employees through partnerships with Community Bridges and the Community Foundation.
There will also be a free concert series on Wednesdays from 6–8:30pm, Jan. 22–Feb. 26, featuring James Durbin, Alex Lucero, DJ Monk Earl and more. Details: Eventsantacruz.com.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Cutting funding to mental health will absolutely put our students’ lives at risk.”
—Bobby Pelz, Watsonville High School history teacher
