Disclaimers: 1. I am not a Tesla hater, an EV hater, nor a Tesla short-seller. I am a regular guy who is determined to buy an EV in the near future, most likely a Tesla. 2. Please keep in mind the YouTube video referenced below was posted by The Young Turks, a political organization. 2. It is not my intention to start a political discussion. This post is intended to present another side to the latest news involving Elon Musk and Tesla. YouTube video: "The California Tesla factory that reopened this week has a long history of racking up environmental violations, government records show. Tesla CEO Elon Musk threatened to move the Fremont, CA, factory to Texas or Nevada, after county officials refused to let him reopen despite the state loosening its coronavirus restrictions. The county later struck a deal with Musk that allowed the factory to reopen with a slate of safety measures in place." "Documents detail 42 violations as recently as February and as far back as 2017. Officials told The Young Turks this week that the violations are still pending." TYT article: https://tyt.com/stories/4vZLCHuQrYE4uKagy0oyMA/6qN1EZx2r1p7aEhNUuWtzG Despite Musk’s public claim he was ready to move the factory “immediately,” the documents show Tesla was simultaneously planning new construction and expansion of its California facilities. Many of the environmental violations involve issues around painting, which can have respiratory implications. Respiratory issues have taken on heightened importance due to vulnerabilities associated with the coronavirus. "In the first quarter of 2020, according to a May 6 meeting agenda of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), Tesla received 13 notices of violations, more than any entity in 11 counties. The BAAQMD document says, “The majority of the violations occurred when the facility experienced process upsets and malfunctions which interrupted paint line operations, causing residual volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions to be released and unabated.” Internal BAAQMD records obtained by The Young Turks suggest that half a dozen violations involved permitting problems. BAAQMD Acting Communications Officer Kristine Roselius declined to comment on the list TYT obtained of 42 Tesla violations dating back to January 2017. "It's an active enforcement action, so we can't comment, unfortunately. These are all pending," she said. Asked whether that applied even to the 2017 violations, Roselius said it’s “not unusual” to have violations that old still pending. As Elizabeth Spier noted for GQ, Musk has a history of flouting regulations, sometimes with little consequence. Two years ago, for instance, Reveal reported on safety issues at the Tesla factory. During his dust-up with county officials — which Musk took to both Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) and Pres. Trump — Musk threatened to relocate the Tesla factory to Nevada or Texas. Another Musk company, SpaceX, reportedly lost California subsidies as a result. But there’s little evidence Musk was serious in his threat, as Newsom himself said Tuesday. In fact, BAAQMD documents show that Tesla is in the middle of expanding its California operations. The May 6 minutes confirm a Tesla proposal to open a research-and-development battery production line and construct a new filter house in Fremont. Permission to replace a thermal oxidizer was granted on March 16. On the same day, Tesla got the okay to build a new paint spray booth at “a new facility” in San Rafael, about 60 miles north of the Fremont factory. Bay Area Air Quality Management District, Board of Directors Special Meeting notes of the May 6, 2020: https://www.baaqmd.gov/~/media/files/board-of-directors/2020/bods_agenda_05062020-pdf.pdf?la=en
Musk didn't threaten to move the factory immediately said he was (was- not maybe!) moving head quarters immediately (with tax implications) and factory only on a contingent basis of fair treatment. He sent a warning shot by selling his residence in the state. This notion of paint shop issues (while it could be true) is BS against the county doing nothing about the 6 oil refineries in its tiny confines most in the state (even if it couldn't) it is bankrupt on respiratory. Also the assertions that Tesla is still building out Fremont are meaningless as that is part of programmed CAPEX. This article was driven by the dumb sold-out side of labor that doesn't realize it is getting pimped by fossil fuels and that there is nothing worse for ordinary people than having fossil fuels tying up future opportunity costs spending with its pure loss generating bankrupting stranded asset dead ends. The other point of these articles is to try to
