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:
Press release from Senator McGuire’s Office:Senate President Designee Mike McGuire’s groundbreaking legislation to expedite offshore wind development to help meet the Golden State’s long-term electricity demand and nation-leading climate goals has been signed into law by Governor Newsom.SB 286 – the Offshore Wind Expediting Act – will accelerate the offshore wind permitting process through the State Coastal Commission and State Lands Commission. At the same time, it will ensure environmental safeguards will remain in place, California’s storied fishing fleet interests are protected, and will advance resources that benefit communities and develop family-sustaining jobs through career training programs.
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Pressure is mounting on the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District to reconsider its relationship with Crowley Maritime, its partner in the rush to develop a marine terminal to serve the proposed offshore wind farm, or at least to hold off on consummating the partnership.The first official salvo came Aug. 20 in the form of an op-ed Yurok Tribal Chair Joseph James published in a local paper calling on the district to “reconsider” its exclusive right to negotiate agreement with the international maritime industry giant due to a “rotten company culture” evidenced by two federal lawsuits. The latest, meanwhile, hit Aug. 31, with news that Crowley Wind Services Vice President Jeff Andreini had left the company amid sexual harassment allegations with ties to Humboldt County, as first reported by the Lost Coast Outpost.Read More
A top Crowley executive working on offshore wind and port development efforts on the North Coast parted ways with the company this week. Crowley, a private marine services and logistics company, has faced increased scrutiny in recent months – both locally and nationally – following allegations of sexual harassment and assault within the company.The company recently received a complaint against Andreini alleging sexual harassment of “a subordinate Crowley employee” at a bar during an offshore wind conference in Sacramento earlier this year.In an email correspondence between Redwood Coast Energy Authority Executive Director Matthew Marshall and Crowley’s Chief People Officer Megan Davidson, which was obtained by the Outpost through a Public Records Act Request, Marshall states Andreini’s behavior “was egregious enough that [he] felt compelled to personally intervene and stop the behavior.”Read More
On Thursday, July 26th, the Eureka Times-Standard reported allegations of sex trafficking by employees of Crowley Marine Services, the parent company of the prospective leaseholder of Humboldt’s wind terminal, Crowley Wind Services. While the troubling history of Crowley’s workplace culture has been known for some time, the publicly available evidence suggests that high-level executives within Crowley were aware and complacent in allowing misconduct to thrive. These allegations, which picture a rotten company culture, are concerning and worthy of further investigation given the historical and present-day crisis of sex trafficking and Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) in California and the United States. They also give necessary reasons to consider reopening negotiations regarding port development.As an elected body, the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District’s responsibility lies with the people, community, and environment it represents. Native American Tribes are a vital constituent in this community, and the safety of our women, girls, and people is paramount. While offshore wind port development could benefit the community through jobs, an influx of money, and by fighting climate change, these potential benefits must not come at the expense of our people.Read More
The Newsom administration’s path to net-zero carbon emissions runs through one of the state’s poorer, most remote areas.A 300-foot tall smokestack from a defunct paper mill looms over the port in Humboldt Bay, a relic of the timber industry that once defined the northwestern corner of California along with the struggling salmon fishing industry and sputtering marijuana trade.But a gust of optimism has arrived in Humboldt County over plans to develop offshore wind at a depth and scale never before attempted in the world – sparking hope and anxiety in a region that has lived through repeated boom-and-bust cycles and ended up with one of the lower per-capita incomes in the state.
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