Moss Landing Vistra Battery Fire Response: Frequently Asked Questions

Moss Landing Vistra Battery Fire Response | Response Timeline | Frequently Asked Questions | Photos | Register for Email Updates

• EPA's Role
• Air
• Soil
• Other Testing or Sampling
• Ongoing Work
• Miscellaneous

EPA's Role at Moss Landing

• Under what authority is EPA overseeing the Fire Response?

• What does the battery removal process involve?

  • What is battery delinking and what does it do?

• Why are you only overseeing battery removal on-site?

Air

• What air monitoring activities did you do during the January 2025 fire response?

  • What did you test for during the fire?
  • What particulate sizes did EPA monitor during the initial response in January, 2025?
  • What were the results of EPA's air monitoring from January 17 to 20, 2025?
  • Can you detect nanoparticles in the air with the instrumentation you used during the initial response?
  • What happened with the spike in particulate matter at air monitoring station 9 the morning of January 18, which resulted in a 1.275 mg/m3 reading for PM10?
  • What air monitoring technology did you use?

• What air monitoring/sampling is required during Vistra's battery removal work?

• How are air results evaluated?

  • What happens if data shows increased levels of contaminants in the air and how does EPA respond?

• Is there a difference between air monitoring and air sampling?

Soil

• Did EPA use X-ray fluorescence (XRF) to test soil on and around the site?

Other Testing or Sampling

• Did EPA take wipe samples on-site?

• Has the ash been sampled in the damaged building?

Ongoing Work

• What are the contaminants of concern?

  • Is EPA testing for dioxins?
  • Did EPA sample for black carbon?

• Can the building be covered or tented?

• How is the air monitoring and air sampling data being used to protect the community and the environment?

  • What will EPA and Vistra do if there are elevated readings detected by the air monitors?

• How will you control dust and particles during operations?

• How will you prevent the contamination from moving off site when it rains?

• How did EPA and Vistra determine the truck routes to be used for transporting material off-site at Moss Landing? Why were other truck route options not selected?

Miscellaneous

• Is Moss Landing a Superfund site?