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:

Analysis: Offshore wind transmission lines will cost ratepayers $1.68 annually

An analysis of the costs ratepayers would bear associated with adding infrastructure to Humboldt County to transmit energy generated by offshore wind found the average California household would pay about $1.68 per year more.

The analysis, released this month by the Schatz Energy Research Center at Cal Poly Humboldt, found the average cost to ratepayers for building and maintaining the infrastructure would peak at $4.52 per year in 2035 and then decline over time.

Trump halts East Coast projects in latest blow against wind power

The Trump administration announced an immediate pause on the leases for five large-scale offshore wind farms off the East Coast. The Interior Department provided few details, but said the Pentagon believed the turbines could obscure and confuse radar signals. It's the latest move by the White House taking aim at wind power. Science correspondent Miles O’Brien has been tracking these projects.

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Offshore wind advocates say there’s now time to ‘do it right’

Advocates for offshore wind development in Humboldt County say the project is chugging ahead despite federal opposition — including the Department of Transportation withdrawing about $427 million in grant funds to develop the Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Terminal.

They say with a likely delay of the project as a result, there’s now more time to get it done right. Wednesday, people from a coalition supporting renewable energy in Humboldt County pointed to ongoing work being done to get the project “shovel ready.”

One organization, the Peninsula Community Collaborative, has been collecting input from residents of the Samoa Peninsula for years.

Harbor District Nabs $18.25M State Grant for Planned Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal

The Trump administration may be doing its darnedest to kneecap the nation’s burgeoning offshore wind industry, but California remains bullish on the renewable energy sector.

On Wednesday, the California Energy Commission (CEC) awarded an $18,250,000 grant to the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District to advance the design of the district’s planned Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal.

Trump breaks wind funding again, canceling $679 million in federal funding for a dozen offshore projects

The Transportation Department on Friday canceled $679 million in federal funding for a dozen offshore wind projects, the latest attack by the Trump administration on the reeling U.S. offshore wind industry.

Funding for projects in 11 states was rescinded, including $435 million for a floating wind farm in Northern California.

Last week, with U.S. electricity prices rising at more than twice the rate of inflation, Trump lashed out, falsely blaming renewable power for skyrocketing energy costs. He called wind and solar energy “THE SCAM OF THE CENTURY!” in a social media post and vowed not to approve any wind or solar projects.

Energy analysts say renewable sources have little to do with recent price hikes, which are based on increased demand from artificial intelligence and energy-hungry data centers, along with aging infrastructure and increasingly extreme weather events such as wildfires that are exacerbated by climate change.