News

County Planning Commissioner Kevin McKenny Cited For Alleged Violations of the Federal Clean Water Act and Other Environmental Laws

4/28/18

Humboldt County Planning Commissioner Kevin McKenny likely violated the federal Clean Water Act, the California Water Code and other environmental regulations last fall when he conducted unauthorized construction activity on a 4.5-acre parcel he owns just outside Eureka city limits, according to a Notice of Violation from the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board.

The notice, issued January 9, says that during an inspection of the parcel this past November, staff from the water board and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers found that grading had been done to the floodplain; riparian vegetation had been removed; slash and waste had been pushed into riparian areas; and a drain with least three underground outfall pipes had been installed without proper authorization.

Cruise Ship Coming to Humboldt Bay

4/23/18

The city of Eureka announced today that fledgling efforts to bring cruise ships to Humboldt Bay have been successful, with the first such ship arriving Monday, May 21. According to its press release, the city, in association with the Humboldt Bay Harbor District, formed a partnership with Eureka Main Street, the Eureka Visitor Center and former city council candidate Chet Albin "to strategically recruit cruise ships to Humboldt Bay."

Jennifer Kalt, director of Humboldt Baykeeper, told the Journal that cruise ships can provide some environmental challenges because they are not subject to local or state laws regarding the dumping of wastewater, although more commonly they discharge wastewater in the open ocean. Humboldt County also prohibits the dumping of ballast water in the bay as it may carry invasive invertebrates that can threaten local water health. But Kalt adds that Baykeeper does not have an official position on the marketing strategy of attracting cruise ships to the region, and what — if any — environmental impacts becoming a cruise ship destination might have.

Mercer-Fraser scraps Glendale cannabis facility project following months of backlash

4/18/18

After months of negotiations regarding concerns over the potential for drinking water contamination, Mercer-Fraser Company will withdraw its permit application to build a cannabis concentrate manufacturing facility in Glendale.

The April 17 letter from Mercer-Fraser’s attorney Adam Guernsey of the Harrison, Temblador, Hungerford & Johnson law firm states that the company is withdrawing the permit “at this time” because the water district’s actions have “rendered a fair hearing impossible at this time.”

Humboldt Baykeeper Director Jennifer Kalt, who has opposed the project, questioned whether the project will be withdrawn for good.

“Without further information, I don’t see how this is any guarantee we won’t see this project again in the future,” Kalt said. “Bad projects have a way of coming back to life after you think they’re resolved.”

Friedenbach said a withdrawn permit can always be brought back, and if it does in this case the district will likely oppose it again.

Resolution talks for controversial Mercer-Fraser pot facility fail, water district claims

4/14/17

Recent attempts to resolve local communities’ concerns of drinking water contamination by Mercer-Fraser Company’s proposed cannabis manufacturing facility in Glendale have been unsuccessful, according to a local official, with a local water supplier planning to continue with its appeal of the project.

The Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District — which provides water for about 88,000 residents in Eureka, Arcata, Blue Lake, and the McKinleyville, Manila, Fieldbrook-Glendale and Humboldt community services districts — is appealing the county Planning Commission’s January approval of the Mercer-Fraser Project because of its proximity to one of its drinking water pumps on the Mad River.

The district’s General Manager John Friedenbach said Friday that he thought they had reached a resolution with Mercer-Fraser after a March meeting, but said that resolution was not in place as of Friday.

As to what happened between then, Friedenbach declined to comment and deferred that topic to Mercer-Fraser Company.

Humboldt Baykeeper Director Jennifer Kalt opposes Mercer-Fraser’s project and disagrees with the way the resolution talks have been handled.

“Apparently, there has been a lot of negotiations behind the scenes, but the public really deserves to know what is going to be the fate of our drinking water supply,” she said.

Friedenbach said he’d like the board of supervisors to take up the Mercer-Fraser project before the June primary election, in which Sundberg and 4th District Supervisor Virginia Bass are up for re-election.

Asked to elaborate why, Friendbach said, “We just would.”

Kin to the Earth: Aldaron Laird

Aldaron Laird is well-known as a local sea level rise expert and environmental consultant, but his career began long before rising seas became a concern. I first began working with him on the Humboldt Bay King Tides Initiative in 2011, when he suggested that it would be a good way to turn the public’s attention to the bay during the annual extreme high tides that will soon be the norm.

An avid kayaker, hiker, and photographer, Laird is also known for his extensive knowledge of historical ecology and the complex regulatory framework that governs environmental protection and restoration. He is a long-time proponent of the Public Trust Doctrine, the ancient law adopted by California in 1850 that declared that no one can own the seashore, the air, the oceans, or navigable waterways—these public trust resources belong to all of us.

Laird began his environmental career as a tree planter after graduating from Humboldt State University in 1978. He was a founding member of the Northcoast Reinhabitation Group, a natural resources/forestry contracting and consulting firm based in Blue Lake. Among the Group’s work was some of the first watershed restoration projects in the Redwood Creek expansion area of Redwood National Park in the late 1970s. They also planted millions of trees in Humboldt and Trinity Counties to reverse the damage done by clearcutting, logging roads, and landslides.