The federal government recently awarded $426,000,000 to the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation District for the design, permitting, and construction of an offshore wind Heavy Lift Terminal on the Samoa Peninsula. Photo: The site was once part of the former Hammond Lumber Mill. The site will need to be remediated, dock and buildings demolished, and ground elevation raised to accommodate sea level rise. Drone image by Oren Nardi.This “mega-grant” was announced shortly after the District committed to a “Green Terminal" strategy, which directs staff to develop a heavy lift terminal that is powered primarily by electricity to protect air quality and public health, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, noise, and the threat of fuel spills. We applaud the District’s commitment to designing a Green Terminal, which means that offshore wind energy will not be accompanied by a dirty, fossil fuel spewing port in Humboldt Bay. To accomplish this, a Green Terminal Strategy will be developed by March 2025. A new project description is expected this April.Other impacts from the terminal will be addressed in the environmental review process, which is in the early stages. These include impacts to wildlife, water quality, Peninsula residents, Tuluwat Island, eelgrass, wetlands, oyster and seaweed farmers, commercial and recreational fishing, boating, swimming, and surfing. We will continue to advocate for the fewest direct local impacts possible. That said, many of these critical resources are already being impacted by climate change, including increasing temperatures, ocean acidification, and rising sea level.Site Contamination and cleanupA top priority is a thorough cleanup of the site before construction begins. This land was once occupied by lumber mills, plywood mills, and a cogeneration facility, and is likely contaminated with the typical toxic cocktail at former mill sites – pentachlorophenol, dioxins, PCBs, metals, and petroleum products. Soil and groundwater will need to be sampled to identify the extent of contamination, after which the sites must be remediated to protect human health and the environment. In May 2023, the District received a $500,000 Brownfields grant from US EPA for sampling, but this work has not yet begun. Once the site is cleaned up, it will need to be elevated, since it is vulnerable to rising sea level and groundwater. Tsunami and flood hazards will need to be considered, as well as potential soil liquefaction during large earthquakes. These steps will likely take several years, along with other aspects of offshore wind development (see Offshore Wind Update on pages 8-9). Permitting and building new high-capacity transmission lines is expected to cost $2-5 billion and take around ten years to complete.Harbor District awarded $426 million "Mega-grant"This massive federal grant will partially fund required studies, permitting, and construction costs for the proposed Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Terminal, including a 200,000 square foot wharf, a 40-acre upland storage site, and nearly 1 million cubic yards of new dredging. The funding includes $51 million for eelgrass and wetland mitigation, $10 million for a solar array, $1.2 million for a public fishing pier and/ or kayak launch, and $1.1 million for a Class 1 bike trail adjacent to the project site. A 98 percent private match is required, meaning 98 cents of private funds will have to be committed for every dollar of federal funding. That funding is expected to come from the port developer which has yet to be identified since Crowley Wind Services withdrew from lease negotiations shortly after the megagrant was awarded.
The federal government recently awarded $426,000,000 to the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation District for the design, permitting, and construction of an offshore wind Heavy Lift Terminal on the Samoa Peninsula. Photo: The site was once part of the former Hammond Lumber Mill. The site will need to be remediated, dock and buildings demolished, and ground elevation raised to accommodate sea level rise. Drone image by Oren Nardi.This “mega-grant” was announced shortly after the District committed to a “Green Terminal" strategy, which directs staff to develop a heavy lift terminal that is powered primarily by electricity to protect air quality and public health, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, noise, and the threat of fuel spills. We applaud the District’s commitment to designing a Green Terminal, which means that offshore wind energy will not be accompanied by a dirty, fossil fuel spewing port in Humboldt Bay. To accomplish this, a Green Terminal Strategy will be developed by March 2025. A new project description is expected this April.Other impacts from the terminal will be addressed in the environmental review process, which is in the early stages. These include impacts to wildlife, water quality, Peninsula residents, Tuluwat Island, eelgrass, wetlands, oyster and seaweed farmers, commercial and recreational fishing, boating, swimming, and surfing. We will continue to advocate for the fewest direct local impacts possible. That said, many of these critical resources are already being impacted by climate change, including increasing temperatures, ocean acidification, and rising sea level.Site Contamination and cleanupA top priority is a thorough cleanup of the site before construction begins. This land was once occupied by lumber mills, plywood mills, and a cogeneration facility, and is likely contaminated with the typical toxic cocktail at former mill sites – pentachlorophenol, dioxins, PCBs, metals, and petroleum products. Soil and groundwater will need to be sampled to identify the extent of contamination, after which the sites must be remediated to protect human health and the environment. In May 2023, the District received a $500,000 Brownfields grant from US EPA for sampling, but this work has not yet begun. Once the site is cleaned up, it will need to be elevated, since it is vulnerable to rising sea level and groundwater. Tsunami and flood hazards will need to be considered, as well as potential soil liquefaction during large earthquakes. These steps will likely take several years, along with other aspects of offshore wind development (see Offshore Wind Update on pages 8-9). Permitting and building new high-capacity transmission lines is expected to cost $2-5 billion and take around ten years to complete.Harbor District awarded $426 million "Mega-grant"This massive federal grant will partially fund required studies, permitting, and construction costs for the proposed Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Terminal, including a 200,000 square foot wharf, a 40-acre upland storage site, and nearly 1 million cubic yards of new dredging. The funding includes $51 million for eelgrass and wetland mitigation, $10 million for a solar array, $1.2 million for a public fishing pier and/ or kayak launch, and $1.1 million for a Class 1 bike trail adjacent to the project site. A 98 percent private match is required, meaning 98 cents of private funds will have to be committed for every dollar of federal funding. That funding is expected to come from the port developer which has yet to be identified since Crowley Wind Services withdrew from lease negotiations shortly after the megagrant was awarded. 
