The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday it has reached a settlement with the company that operates an Otay Mesa energy storage facility that caught fire last year.
The settlement with Gateway Energy Storage concerns cleanup efforts in connection with the lithium-ion battery fire that broke out on May 15, 2024, and lasted nearly two weeks due to flare-ups at the site. No injuries were reported in connection with the blaze.
The settlement does not involve a monetary component, but rather imposes requirements that Gateway take "comprehensive safety measures and monitoring to protect nearby residents and workers during the cleanup process," the EPA said.
Cleanup efforts remain ongoing and are being overseen by the EPA, local firefighting agencies, and the San Diego County government.
Gateway will also be required to conduct environmental monitoring during its battery handling operations and submit progress reports to the EPA.
"Calling a technology `green energy' does not mean there are no environmental impacts. This is an issue of growing concern," EPA Pacific Southwest Region Administrator Josh F.W. Cook said in a statement.
"I am alarmed by the incidents and impacts of utility grade battery fires on first responders, specifically the professional firefighters who are exposed to horrible toxic conditions when batteries catch fire. This settlement action is a step in the right direction, but the broader battery storage fire issue requires additional attention and EPA enforcement."
Cook's statement of being "alarmed" by the Gateway battery fire was seen by some as being part of a hostile attitude toward the practice of storing solar and other renewable energy at battery facilities.
Jason Anderson, the CEO of CleanTech San Diego, said Cook's statement of being "alarmed" by the fire was "hostile." He also said the Trump administration has been an opponent of renewable energy and the tone of Cook's comments was inappropriately negative.
“What the EPA administrator is saying as it relates to this particular project may not be about this particular project, but more about the opinions of the administration on renewable energy and green energy,” he said.
This year, CleanTech sponsored a survey of San Diego County residents on whether they wanted battery storage facilities nearby. Anderson said 66% of people support battery storage facilities in the region.
