Public hearing set for Tuesday on Humidor battery energy storage system 

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The L.A. County Board of Supervisors is holding a public hearing on Tuesday morning to allow community members to voice their opinions about the pending approval of a franchise agreement allowing Hecate Grid to operate its Humidor Battery Energy Storage System in the unincorporated Acton area.  

Local Acton leaders of “Acton Takes Action” Ruth Brock and Director of “Save Our Rural Town” Jackie Ayer plan to be in attendance on downtown L.A. to voice their ongoing concerns about the Humidor BESS project, one being the potential fire danger they believe it poses.  

Brock said they are planning on having 30 community members attend with them, all in opposition to the project.  

“Our residents are very united against this project,” said Brock.  

As of Saturday, 127 letters were submitted from community members to the Board of Supervisors in opposition and requesting that the board rescind its approval of the project.  

Ayer said she submitted a detailed 99-page letter going into the specifics of why the Humidor BESS project should not be exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act and why the project violates zoning codes.  

“Save Our Rural Town respectfully requests that the Board of Supervisors rescind the resolution adopted Oct. 8, 2024, find that the Humidor Project ‘as a whole’ is not exempt from CEQA and that the Humidor BESS is a ‘Heavy Industrial’ use which was improperly approved in a ‘Light Industrial’ zone, thereby deny the franchise ordinance,” wrote Ayer in her letter.  

According to the Hecate Grid website, the Humidor BESS project was carefully selected to be far away from residential areas and will be in an industrial area between a freeway and rail line. The project would help California move toward its decarbonization goals, help boost the economy by introducing new jobs and reduce power shutoffs for the area, according to the county meeting agenda from Oct. 8.  

The Board of Supervisors approved the 400-megawatt battery energy storage system despite the Acton residents’ objections. Brock said there has been a lack of transparency behind the process of the Humidor BESS project, causing Acton residents to be angry and frightened.  

Opponents of the project contend that the lithium-ion batteries that would be stored at the battery energy storage system create a dangerous risk to the surrounding community. Brock said that three battery energy storage systems have burned down, one fire lasting two weeks, and sent toxic fumes into the air that can affect the health of people. 

“The more of these projects that are approved the more of these incidents are going to happen,” said Brock.  

If the project is approved the franchise agreement would be for 35 years, starting Nov. 28 and running until 2059.  

In a statement emailed earlier this month, L.A. County 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger said she encourages the public to be a part of the important conversation that will take place during the public hearing.  

The public meeting is set to start at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at 500 W. Temple St., Room 381B, at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration in Los Angeles.   

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