• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) responded to the executive actions that President Donald Trump made on his first day in office by calling some of them illegal and unconstitutional. This includes orders to pause funds appropriated through the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law), to no longer extend citizenship to everyone born in the United States, and to repeal efforts aimed at lowering prescription drug costs. “President Trump couldn’t make it one day without issuing orders that are both illegal and detrimental to American families. As the president was literally impeached over his withholding of Congressionally approved funds in his first term, I would have thought he’d remember this law the second time around,” Carbajal said in a press release. Congress approved the funds allocated as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, he said, and halting that funding is forbidden by the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974. “Not only is this executive order illegal, but it will be a job killer for communities across the United States.” He added that birthright citizenship is protected in the Constitution’s 14th Amendment and that the “Constitution beats executive order—every time.” “I will continue to fight in Congress to ensure the bedrock rights of our citizens are not undermined.”
• In response to a Jan 16. battery energy storage facility fire in Moss Landing that lasted several days, state Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) introduced the Battery Energy Safety and Accountability Act to improve safety standards and restore local oversight for energy storage facilities in California. The bill would require local engagement for the permitting process for battery or energy storage facilities and create environmental setback requirements for sensitive areas, including schools, hospitals, and natural habitats. In a Jan. 24 press release from her office, she called the legislation “a proactive measure that will ensure companies like Vistra go through the normal, local regulatory process.” Vistra owns and operates the Moss Landing facility that caught fire in January and has also proposed a battery energy storage system for the old power plant property in Morro Bay. The bill “is designed to build trust, increase safety, and give communities a choice, by restoring local community processes for permitting these projects.” On Jan. 22, Addis, state Sen. John Laird (D-Santa Cruz), and Assemblymember Gail Pellerin (D-Santa Cruz) sent a letter to the president of the California Public Utilities Commission asking the commission to investigate the fire in Moss Landing. “Specifically, we are asking for a fully transparent and independent investigation, updated safety enforcement, prevention enhancements, and for the Vistra [battery energy storage system] to remain offline until safety is guaranteed,” the letter said. “We have been working to move California away from carbon producing energy and toward meeting our critical climate goals. It is imperative that as we transition, we ensure safety for our communities and our environment.” The fire is the third safety incident at Vistra’s Moss Landing facility, the letter said. “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,” the letter said. “If we are to ensure California moves its climate and energy goals forward, we must demonstrate a steadfast commitment to safety, environmental stewardship, transparency, accountability, and emergency prevention.”
This article appears in Jan 30 – Feb 9, 2025.