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Van Zandt County court backs DA in seeking court order to block delivery of lithium batteries until NFPA standards met
Summary
The Van Zandt County Commissioner's Court adopted a resolution urging the county district attorney to seek judicial authority to prevent delivery of lithium iron batteries to county sites until the Van Zandt County Fire Marshal or a court determines National Fire Protection Association standards are met.
The Van Zandt County Commissioner's Court on a unanimous voice vote approved a resolution expressing support for the Van Zandt County District Attorney to seek judicial authority to prevent delivery of lithium iron batteries to any site in Van Zandt County until the Van Zandt County Fire Marshal or a court finds that all applicable National Fire Protection Association standards have been met.
The court said in the resolution that "the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of Van Zandt County is of utmost importance" and that it finds "battery energy storage systems are a fire hazard as defined by the National Fire Protection Association" and that "lithium ion batteries are a hazardous substance." The resolution names BT Amador Storage LLC by company name as one developer of a battery energy storage system referenced in the text of the resolution.
A commissioner who moved the resolution said the court and its partners had been "fighting very diligently for 3 and a half, 4 months" and added, "we are not supporters of green energy, specifically these battery energy storage systems. And we want to do we wanna assure the people of, of each of our precincts that we are not in support of of these coming in." The motion was seconded by Commissioner Curtis Mitchell.
The court chair put the question and the vote was recorded as "aye" by the members present; the presiding official announced the matter approved. The resolution instructs the county's district attorney to seek judicial authority to prevent owners and developers of BT Amador Storage LLC and "all other battery energy storage system entities" from delivering lithium iron batteries into Van Zandt County until compliance with applicable NFPA standards is confirmed by the fire marshal or a court.
The resolution repeatedly cites National Fire Protection Association standards as the governing safety authority. The resolution text as read during the meeting also included a reference to a battery energy storage system being developed in "Benzed County." That phrasing appears in the meeting text and may be a transcription or drafting error; the resolution itself, as adopted, directs county legal action directed at deliveries to Van Zandt County. The court did not specify any timeline or a separate enforcement mechanism beyond asking the district attorney to seek judicial authority.
No amendments were offered during the discussion and no additional procedural conditions (for example, a specified review timeline) were included in the adopted text.
The court said staff would prepare a press release in coordination with the judge after consultation with the district attorney.
