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Anacortes resident warns commissioners of environmental risks from battery-storage fires
Summary
Elka McCartney urged Skagit County commissioners to oppose battery energy storage near agricultural areas, citing peer‑reviewed research on heavy‑metal contamination following a 2025 battery fire and urging proactive prevention.
Anacortes resident Elka McCartney told the Skagit County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 6 that the county should take a precautionary approach to siting battery energy storage systems near agricultural land and sensitive wetlands.
McCartney cited published research on a Jan. 2025 battery fire near Moss Landing that tested soils and found elevated concentrations of nickel, manganese and cobalt compared with baseline samples. ‘‘There was obvious debris related to the fire. Evidence that something came out from the smoke plume,’’ McCartney said, summarizing the scientists’ findings and the paper published in Scientific Reports.
She asked commissioners to ‘‘be proactive and do what you can to prevent this catastrophe’’ and said she was sending the board links to the studies. Commissioners and attendees thanked her for the references during a brief exchange following her remarks.
McCartney framed the concern as specifically relevant to Skagit County because the county includes abundant agricultural land and nearby wetlands; she said a battery fire near crop or fish habitat could leave long‑lasting contamination in soils and food chains. The comment was made during the board’s public‑comment period and did not propose a specific county policy or ordinance change.
