FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 28, 2025
Latisha Townsend – Communications Director, Supervisor Foley
(714) 559-8364 | Latisha.Townsend@ocgov.com
OC Vice Chair Katrina Foley and U.S. Congressman Mike Levin Release Joint Statement Prior to California Energy Commission Meeting on Community Opposed Compass Energy Storage Project
ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA — Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley and U.S. Congressman Mike Levin released a joint statement ahead of the California Energy Commission’s (CEC) informational and environmental scoping meeting in Orange County. This Thursday, the CEC will present and ask for information on the proposed Compass Energy Storage Project.
“Sustainability and increasing our electrical grid capacity must be a priority, but not at the expense of public safety and common sense. I urge the CEC oppose permitting the Compass Energy Storage Project or any other BESS facilities within Very High/High Fire Severity Zones. The wildfire risk and threat to the communities of San Juan Capistrano and Laguna Niguel are far too great to ignore,” said Vice Chair Katrina Foley. “To prevent future conflicts in County Unincorporated areas, the County of Orange is crafting a BESS Ordinance to require safety protocols for development, create zones where BESS facilities are proper, and ban the development inside Very High/High Fire Zones as identified by CalFire.”
“I do not believe that the application to build the Compass Energy Storage Project on its currently proposed site meets “smart from the start” principles I have long advocated for at the federal level,” said Congressman Mike Levin. “The project would be situated near sensitive areas – relatively close to homes and adjacent to Trabuco Creek – and alongside critical infrastructure – primarily, Interstate 5. Should there be any kind of disaster at the project, nearby residents may be severely impacted, as could the water quality of the creek. Any extended shutdown of I-5 would hurt the commerce of our region.”
Supervisor Foley and Congressman Levin both oppose the project and have sent opposition letters to the CEC in advance of the hearing. They are both working on legislative remedies to properly zone BESS facilities, as well as safety protocols given the high fire risk.
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Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2022 to represent the newly established District 5, which includes the cities of Aliso Viejo, Costa Mesa, Dana Point, a large portion of Irvine, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Newport Beach, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, as well as the unincorporated areas of Coto de Caza, Emerald Bay, Ladera Ranch, Las Flores, Rancho Mission Viejo, Stonecliffe and Wagon Wheel. This is her second term on the Board of Supervisors, where she previously served District 2.
Vice Chair Foley’s 2025 Board appointments include:
Chair – Orange County Housing Finance Trust,
Orange County Audit Oversight Committee,
Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA),
Vice Chair – OCTA Legislative and Communications
Committee, Regional Transportation Committee,
Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor Agency,
Transportation Corridor Agency (TCA), TCA Joint Capital Improvements and Projects Committee,
San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) Community Engagement Panel,
Co-Chair – Spent Fuel Solutions Coalition,
Orange County Public Libraries Advisory Board, Coastal Greenbelt Authority,
Newport Bay and South Orange County Watershed Executive Committees,
Ocean Institute, Orange County Community Corrections
Partnership (OCCCP), Santa Ana River Flood Control Protection Agency,
and the Orange County Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council.
