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Covina residents press council for independent review of proposed battery storage site near homes

Covina City Council · April 7, 2026
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Multiple residents, business owners and community groups urged the Covina City Council to require a full environmental impact report and halt plans for a proposed battery energy storage system (BESS) at or near 522 East Edna Place, citing past BESS fires, safety and notice concerns; the council and staff said the project is under review and has not yet reached the Planning Commission.

Residents, business owners and organized groups urged the Covina City Council on April 7 to require an independent environmental review and more public outreach before any decision on a proposed battery energy storage system (BESS) near downtown.

Multiple speakers named RWE Clean Energy as the project proponent and said the facility was proposed for a site cited in public comments as 522 East Edna Place. Jen Johnson, a downtown business owner, said she supports clean energy but called the site choice "too great a risk," citing news reports of large-scale battery fires and the possibility of toxic smoke and long-lasting smoldering incidents at other facilities. "The risk…

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