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Committee advances Clean Energy Safety Act to tighten battery storage siting, inspections after Moss Landing fire
Summary
SB 283 would require fire authority consultation, inspections and adoption of NFPA battery standards for industrial battery energy storage systems; committee members and emergency responders said the bill is needed after the Moss Landing incident and other multi‑day fires, and the measure passed to local government as amended.
Sen. John Laird urged the Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy to advance SB 283, the Clean Energy Safety Act of 2025, arguing the measure would ensure safer development and operation of large battery energy storage systems (BESS) after the Moss Landing fire earlier in the year.
Supporters — including firefighters, local governments, utilities and industry groups — told the committee the bill would add inspection, consultation and minimum‑standard requirements (including National Fire Protection Association guidance) and prohibit indoor siting of certain large battery arrays in combustible structures. Witnesses described past incidents that burned for days, forced evacuations and closed Highway 1.
Why it matters: Sen. Laird said California’s battery storage fleet has expanded rapidly and policy and operations have not kept pace. “If we really want to meet our goals of renewable energy ... we have to have storage,” he said, adding…
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