Community outrage grows as Moss Landing Battery Plant reopens amid safety concerns

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) - Environmental activist Erin Brockovich and a team of attorneys are taking on PG&E and Vistra Energy. They say the Moss Landing battery plant should not have reopened just months after a toxic fire put the surrounding community at risk.

Now, they’re suing and sounding the alarm over what they call a premature and unsafe restart of the facility.

"They shut it down because they had problems with it within 24 hours, which is a clue that there's problems with the whole system right now," Knut Johnson said.

At a press conference in Moss Landing, attorneys and advocates made it clear, the battery plant shouldn’t resume operations until real safety measures are in place.

"They apparently had no plan for really doing it safely if it only lasted a day. And predictably, there were problems. And so until they know what caused the fire, until they know they can do it safely and frankly, and until they have this removed from a community like this, they simply shouldn't do it," Knut Johnson said.

More than 800 people are now part of a mass action lawsuit against PG&E and Vistra.

Many community members say they are still dealing with the trauma from the battery fire, citing both physical and emotional tolls.

"We're asking for individualized damages for each of our clients. Some of them have suffered health issues. Some of them have suffered nuisance and trespass issues, diminution in value, loss of business profits and other related issues," Knut Johnson said.

"They don't know what the health effects are ultimately going to be from their exposure to all these toxins. They don't know whether this is going to happen again," Knut Johnson said.

As the plant attempts to restart operations, community frustration is rising once again.

"It's important to get to the bottom of it and find out what happened and to not let it happen again," Wendy Kitchell said.

An investigation is now underway into why the plant was allowed to reopen without fully verified safety protocols.

"Our focus here today is simply this, the reopening. It was poorly thought out. It was poorly planned. And like the plant itself next door and Vistra, it was poorly executed and ultimately didn't work. Before it's reopened, they absolutely have to talk to the community and get the sense of what the community wants," Knut Johnson said.

The legal team argues PG&E should have consulted residents before any decision was made.

While Erin Brockovich couldn’t attend the press conference due to car trouble, she released a statement criticizing the decision to move forward with operations.

"The fear of another disaster is very real. The toxins released from that fire continue to harm residents, and the long-term health effects are still unknown. PG&E, Vistra, and local authorities have a responsibility to ensure safety and set proper protocols before any reopening. This community deserves transparent action and accountability, not empty promises," Brockovich said.

"PG&E and they're rushed into this, even though it's been five months, didn't plan it out right, didn't execute it right. And that's what happened to the plant. And it's just further evidence that we’re a long way away from any battery plant of this size being near any community in a safe way," Knut Johnson said.

Now attorneys are calling on local officials to reexamine how energy infrastructure is approved, especially projects located near neighborhoods.

"I think the county needs to reevaluate how they permit construction sites like this, how they think about battery storage facilities, and how they interact with the community on these sort of projects," Knut Johnson said.