The Green Movement's Adoption of Lithium-Ion Batteries

The problems of strip mining and processing lithium in South America are not important. The problems of child labor in cobalt mines are not important. The problems of environmental devastation caused by Indonesian mines are not important. The only thing that is important is what the Green movement says is important. In this case, they say that it is important to use lots of lithium-ion batteries.

First lets' look at the Moss Landing battery plant fire. From the AP: Smoke from fire at California lithium battery plant raises concerns about air quality

A fire at the world’s largest battery storage plant in Northern California smoldered Friday after sending plumes of toxic smoke into the atmosphere, leading to the evacuation of up to 1,500 people. The blaze also shook up the young battery storage industry.

The fire is one problem, but the toxic smoke is the real problem. Who thinks this is good for the environment.

Kelsey Scanlon, director of Monterey County’s Department of Emergency Management, told reporters that the release of hydrogen fluoride into the atmosphere from the blaze is a cause for concern.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says hydrogen fluoride gas can irritate the eyes, mouth, throat, lungs and nose, and that too much exposure to the gas can be deadly.

Here is an 8 minute video on the subject. There's only ONE reason we need these DANGEROUS batteries... | MGUY Australia

Of course the fire in northern California is not the only problem. There are a lot of EVs in and around Los Angeles. The fire in Pacific Palisades has created a problem with fires, since these cars can ignite, or reignite, days or weeks after they are damaged. EV batteries complicate debris removal after California fires

“It’s a little different world now today, with batteries — not just car batteries, but battery packs, people with solar, those Tesla wall batteries and the like,” [Gavin Newsom] said during an interview with CNN that aired on Jan. 13. “The hazmat side of this is made a little bit more complicated, which is fine. We’ll work through that.”

Who is this "we" Newsom? You won't be dealing directly with the risk. You barely admit there is a risk.

While fires in combustion engine vehicles are much more common, EVs have unique qualities that make their fires difficult to extinguish.

In the meantime the NHTSA is collecting and analyzing data, and the EPA is working on a proposal for how to handle all this stuff. Maybe they should have done that before mandating all these batteries.