Residents urge caution on battery storage near Padilla Bay and raise local safety and environmental concerns
November 04, 2025 | Skagit County, Washington
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Elka McCartney of Anacortes warned about a proposed large lithium‑ion battery energy storage installation near Padilla Bay and Sedro‑Woolley, describing shipping‑container sized battery units and citing thermal‑runaway fire risks and difficult firefighting conditions. "The fires are a huge challenge to put out," McCartney said, and she asked county officials to demand concrete, verifiable mitigation measures from energy storage developers and to share chemical‑hazard information with emergency managers.
Jan Edelstein, a Big Lake resident, urged the county to revise its critical areas ordinance to require applicants to evaluate off‑site stormwater water‑quality impacts up to one mile downstream, referencing Ecology guidance that the speaker said recommends a one‑mile analysis to protect lakes and rivers from phosphorus and other runoff pollutants.
Other commenters raised local safety and access concerns: Loretta Humble (Lake Kavanaugh) recounted a storm that left downed trees and live wires blocking a primary route and asked about alternate emergency routes and response timing for remote residents. Rebecca Peck said Mount Vernon peace‑rally participants have faced repeated intimidation and unsafe behavior from passing drivers. Mike Deiberg urged action on housing affordability and property‑tax pressure that he said is driving people out of the county.
Speakers also highlighted volunteer and community capacity to assist homelessness response and point‑in‑time counts, offering church networks and local organizations as partners for outreach and supply distribution.
County staff acknowledged receipt of written statements and said they will accept submitted materials for the record; several speakers left written documents with the clerk. Where issues involve state or private actors (for example, a state highway or private energy developers), staff directed residents to the appropriate agency contacts while noting the county’s jurisdictional limits.
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