Upgrades better than Moss Landing is not good enough (“Nipomo residents express concerns about battery energy storage plant safety,” Feb. 27). If the Nipomo battery energy storage facility needed upgrades, it was not perfect, and safety is still an issue. Can we do better? Can we even trust that the safety measures and standards are absolutely fail-safe? If an abundance of caution was the guiding force, which it should be, then two accidents in our backyard should tell us and send a clear warning we really don’t know what the frick we are doing. Is this good enough until next time? Really, what are we thinking?
Are we worried about all the money invested in this venture with the hope everything will be OK? Is that the decision-making criteria? Save money. People don’t count? Unless it can be absolutely guaranteed nothing is going wrong, this needs to get deep-sixed right now.
Who is making these decisions? Same people who say dumping PFAS chemicals into our groundwater is OK? Same brain trust that says putting a decrepit accident-prone, fault-infested nuke site on life support is fine, just fine? Same people who invite convicted felons with a history of routinely depositing a thick blanket of suffocating greasy, grimy slime into our sacred precious ocean is OK? Well, you know what? I need proof beyond a reasonable doubt that this endeavor is baby-proofed. Can they do that? Prove it.
Jean’ne Blackwell
San Luis Obispo
This article appears in Mar 6-16, 2025.