After unsuccessfully stopping Giga Texas‘s creation, environmental and activist groups are now hoping to stop Tesla’s expansions plans for a new battery plant at the facility.
The East Austin group PODER, the Texas Anti-Poverty Project and Hornsby Bend Alliance recently penned a letter to Mayor Steve Adler noting their concerns with the facility’s proximity to the Colorado River.
The letter noted that the new battery complex would require substantial water and chemicals. Due to this, the new facility could produce a hazardous waste stream if something goes wrong at Giga Texas.
As well, the groups complained about the rapid construction of the facility. The groups also stated that Tesla has yet to build the promised “ecological paradise”.
Part of the letter says:
Since 2020, we note that the company has cleared swaths of trees, moved mountains of dirt, filled in ponds, and poured over 100 contiguous acres of concrete for its factory, with apparently no priority given to the creation of a promised “ecological paradise” on the riverfront. Public officials as well as neighbors have been left scratching their heads wondering whether the company will live up to any of its verbal commitments, or continue to operate with little regard to social or environmental responsibility.
At least to say, the economic benefits to the region and Tesla’s track record of good land stewardship should ensure that the Mayor does not block permits.
You can read a full copy of the letter below.
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