Offshore Wind Energy - Humboldt Waterkeeper

BRIEF OVERVIEW: In 2022, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) awarded two lease areas 20-30 miles west of Humboldt Bay to offshore wind developers. BOEM’s environmental review process for offshore wind development is separated into two analyses. First is environmental impact assessment of the impacts of the studies that need to be done, such as the use of buoys, radar, and sonar. Next, after studies of the lease areas are complete, Environmental Impact Statements will analyze impacts from construction and operation of the wind turbines. These processes will be done separately for the two lease areas.

Also in 2022, the California Coastal Commission reviewed plans for studying marine life in the proposed Humboldt Wind Energy Area, 21 miles west of Humboldt Bay. We submitted these comments and these comments. The plans for studies were approved with seven conditions, including a vessel speed limit of 10 knots (11.5 mph) to decrease the likelihood of collisions with whales and other marine mammals.

In 2023, the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation District issued a Notice of Preparation for the proposed Heavy Lift Terminal in Samoa. We submitted these comments on the potential impacts that must be addressed in the Draft EIR, which is being developed. For more info, check out the website we developed with colleagues at EPIC and CORE Hub: FAQs on Offshore Wind Energy.

LATEST NEWS on Offshore Wind Energy:

Harbor district signs offshore wind agreement with Long Beach

The Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District, the Port of Long Beach and the State Lands Commission announced an offshore wind agreement.

The nine-page agreement puts into ink a commitment to generally work together to develop offshore wind power and the associated port facilities in California. The agreement touts the need for responsible development and the positive attributes of renewable energy and reinvestments at the ports.

“This is about giving people a voice, the ability for people to want to invest because they can see that it’s a project that the people believe in and that the people want. There’s no better signal to investors than that,” he said.

The deal includes commitments like aligning development and permitting of the ports, community engagement and workforce development. At previous harbor district meetings, the port in Long Beach was sometimes seen closer to a competitor — a purportedly better-funded and more developed port that could compete with Humboldt Bay as a hub for offshore wind turbines.

Harbor district talks offshore wind terminal, still in fundraising mode

On Thursday, Humboldt County Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District Development Director Rob Holmlund told the directors that right now, he’s pursuing several grants to fully fund the project and meeting with local stakeholders, such as Samoa residents and the area’s tribes.

The offshore wind terminal project — which received $427 million from the federal government in January— could have massive reverberations in the local economy, but at the moment, it’s still seeking a litany of grants and stakeholder input. The grants — including a California Energy Commission Waterfront Facility Improvement Program Grant — the board is pursuing could help provide additional assessments of the potential impacts to the harbor, something several public commenters supported.

Humboldt Waterkeeper Director Jen Kalt told the board about the Golden mussel, an invasive species native to China and Southeast Asia that was discovered last week for the first time in the Port of Stockton. If the bivalves catch a ride in the ballast water on ships that make it into Humboldt Bay, it could devastate the local oyster seed industry

“The whole West Coast is reliant on the oyster seed coming from Humboldt Bay and … all it would take is one vessel with an oyster disease to destroy this industry that’s been thrilled for all these years,” Kalt said.

Feds Order Vineyard Wind To Complete Study On "Environmental Harm" Of Blade Failure

The federal agency that suspended the Vineyard Wind project following the July 13 blade failure is now requiring the company to complete a new study evaluating the "environmental harm" caused by the incident in the waters southwest of Nantucket, according to a document obtained by Nantucket Current.

California Hits Milestones Toward 100% Clean Energy — but Has a Long Way to Go

California has given America a glimpse at what running one of the world’s largest economies on renewable energy might look like. The state recently hit a milestone: 100 days this year with 100% carbon-free, renewable electricity for at least a part of each day, as tracked by Stanford University engineering Professor Mark Z. Jacobson. The state notched the milestone while — so far — avoiding blackouts and emergency power reductions this year, even with the hottest July on record.

That progress is largely due to the substantial public and private investments in renewable energy — particularly batteries storing solar power to use when the sun isn’t shining, according to energy experts. But California still has a long way to go to stop burning fossil fuels for electricity. Natural gas, which emits greenhouse gases and air pollutants, remains its single largest source of electricity. Just over half of power generated for Californians in 2022 came from solar, wind, other renewables and nuclear power, while 36% came from natural gas plants.

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Simulation of offshore wind assembly to be unveiled at meeting Tuesday

On Tuesday evening, the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District will provide an additional look at how exactly the offshore wind project slated for waters roughly 20 miles west of Eureka could proceed.

The Harbor District is holding a community meeting to show simulations of future operations at the Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Multipurpose Marine Terminal, located between the town of Samoa and Tuluwat Island, from a few angles.

“We’re really excited for the public to see this,” said Chris Mikkelsen, the Harbor District’s executive director. While drafts of the site plan have been available to view for quite some time, these images are new.

The planned 180-acre terminal is set to host the staging, storing and manufacturing of components and assembly of massive turbines. These will be then towed and installed in lease areas in the Pacific Ocean, like one roughly 20 miles west of Eureka and other projects off the coasts of California and Oregon.

How large the turbines built locally will be is still to be determined, but they could reach around 900 feet high. Humboldt Waterkeeper, a local environmental advocacy organization, noted this is about three times taller than the former pulp mill smokestack in Samoa. The terminal will be built on what was once part of the former Hammond Lumber Mill.

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