U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) announced Thursday that more than $8.6 million has been awarded to the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation District to go toward the development of an offshore wind terminal in Humboldt Bay.It’s the latest step for the wind terminal as California continues to try to reach their lofty clean energy goals of 100% carbon-free energy by 2045.“My district in Northern California has some of the best areas available to help meet the administration’s offshore wind energy goals, and I’m glad I could help secure this grant to support the development of one of the first offshore wind projects on the West Coast,” Huffman said in a prepared statement.Huffman lauded the funding noting that the awarded money will go toward “studies, site design, and permitting activities for a heavy-lift offshore wind terminal at the Redwood Marine Terminal. The grant will also fund the creation of a bay-wide master plan for offshore wind development and project management and grant administration expenses.”The Redwood Marine Terminal was the lone offshore wind farm development project on the West Coast to receive funding.Read More
At the end of last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed new legislation to end special treatment for oil and gas companies seeking to develop facilities along the California coast while simultaneously bolstering offshore wind development efforts.Senate Bill 704, introduced by state Sen. Dave Min (D-Irvine), removes a 1970s-era loophole – the “industrial override” provision of the California Coastal Act – that allows oil and gas companies to develop facilities in the coastal zone, including new or expanded refineries and petrochemical plants, without having to comply with state resource protection policies, as long as certain requirements are met.What exactly does this mean for Humboldt?Humboldt Bay has approximately 1,200 acres zoned for Coastal-Dependent Industrial uses — meaning, any industry built in those areas must be somehow dependent on the sea. Planning for CDI uses was done in the 1970s, when demand for land to accommodate sea-dependent businesses was much higher than it is now. The Humboldt Bay Area Plan, a component of the county’s Local Coastal Program, includes marine oil terminals and offshore oil service or supply bases as “principal uses allowed” on CDI lands.SB 704 prohibits “new or expanded oil and gas development from being considered a Coastal-Dependent Industrial facility,” and would only permit those developments if they are determined to be “consistent with all applicable provisions of the act,” according to the text of the bill. Under SB 704, new or expanded oil and gas facilities will have to comply with policies outlined in Chapter 3 of the Coastal Act to be permitted, in line with “virtually all other coastal development.”
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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