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County: EPA to oversee Vistra removal actions at Moss Landing; board urges faster cleanup, asks staff to press EPA and Vistra
Summary
County officials reported that Vistra completed an initial delinking of accessible battery modules at the Moss 300 fire site and that the U.S. EPA will oversee further removal under CERCLA; supervisors asked staff to press EPA and Vistra for an expedited but safe cleanup and to return with a Coastal Commission request next month.
Monterey County officials gave a multi‑agency update April 22 on recovery and sampling work after the January 2025 structural fire and hazardous‑materials incident at the Moss Landing MOS‑300 battery storage building.
Kelsey Scanlon, county director of emergency management, said Vistra — the responsible party — completed a first delinking operation March 13 that removed and separated accessible battery modules, representing about 35,860 modules in 1,630 racks; remaining modules are inaccessible pending demolition of unstable building sections. Scanlon said Vistra and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are developing plans for module removal, staging, treatment and soil sampling; the EPA is expected to issue an order under federal CERCLA authority that will formalize oversight and cleanup responsibilities.
Scanlon and Nikki Fowler of Monterey County Environmental Health said Vistra has profiled approximately 581,800 gallons of water collected on‑site as nonhazardous and had those waters transported to Clean Harbors Seaport for disposal. Environmental Health reported it submitted county specifications for a community soil‑sampling plan and said a third‑party contractor (Tara Phase Engineering, as identified by the county) submitted a revised sampling plan on April 17 that meets county specifications; the contractor planned to start sampling in early May, subject to property access agreements. Environmental Health also said it will coordinate sediment and surface‑water sampling in Elkhorn Slough with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Public Health Officer Dr. Ed Moreno said Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties jointly conducted a community health survey Feb. 19–Mar. 16; county epidemiologists are analyzing roughly 2,000 returned surveys and expect to post a summary of results on the county website in May. Nikki Fowler demonstrated a public GIS dashboard under development that will visualize soil, surface‑water and air screening results and explain screening‑level thresholds; staff said they will seek internal review and then release the public dashboard in early May.
The county described ongoing community concerns — residents sought clearer, real‑time air data (including hydrogen fluoride monitoring), more transparent access to raw air monitoring data and finer time‑resolution temperature data for site operations — and asked for an expanded, transparent approach to medical and environmental guidance. Multiple speakers from the community asked the county for resources to clean private property, guidance on medical testing and, in some cases, emergency relocation assistance.
After public testimony, supervisors asked staff to press federal and responsible‑party partners to accelerate safe cleanup steps. Supervisor Glenn Church asked the board to send a letter urging a faster timeline; the board directed staff to prepare and send a letter to the U.S. EPA and Vistra asking for an expedited cleanup consistent with safety requirements and asked staff to return next month with a separate request for the Coastal Commission to clarify its potential role under state law.
Ending: The county will publish sampling results and a GIS dashboard in early May, continue community health analysis and next month will return to the board with a proposed Coastal Commission request; staff also will send a letter to EPA and Vistra asking for an accelerated, safe cleanup timeline.
