Here along the rugged North Coast of California, there’s little to suggest that Humboldt Bay, with its eelgrass, oysters and osprey nests, will soon become a launchpad for one of the most ambitious clean energy projects in state history: a hub for floating offshore wind.The plan is for major private players to erect hundreds of wind turbines in the bay — each rising as high as L.A.’s tallest skyscrapers — then tow them out to the ocean.Some experts believe the wind project is critical to California’s goal of 100% carbon neutrality by 2045 and represents a key climate change solution. The state has a target of 25 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by that year — enough to power about 25 million homes — and nearly all of it would come from five lease areas in federal waters near Humboldt and Morro bays.Yet the technology for wind power that floats — as opposed to standard towers permanently attached to the sea floor — is just emerging, and has never been attempted in waters as deep as the Pacific off Northern California.It will require innovative engineering even as the state contends with objections from local residents and a federal administration strikingly hostile to offshore wind. President Trump canceled nearly half-a-billion dollars in federal funds for Humboldt Bay’s port project, and has repeatedly tried to block wind projects along the East Coast.The project is still in its early stages, so most of the action is with the Humboldt Bay Harbor District, which must transform its historic logging port before any work begins out on the ocean.The plans for the terminal include new wharves, cranes and barges for the assembly of hundreds of wind turbines. Some locals say they’re worried about how the project will transform the area and its fragile estuary.California must also contend with a federal government antagonistic toward offshore wind. The Trump administration last year canceled nearly half a billion dollars in federal funding for Humboldt Bay’s port project, describing offshore wind as “doomed.”Funding remains a concern. Local officials will have to replace the loss of $427 million in federal grants. A California climate bond approved by voters in 2024 carved out $475 million for offshore wind development, but there is stiff competition for that money.Private investors could be hesitant to put billions into an industry that relies so heavily on the whims of whomever is in the White House, said Arne Jacobson, director of the Schatz Energy Research Center at California State Polytechnic University in Humboldt.“It needs to be a partnership between the state, the federal government and the private sector to be able to do those kinds of projects,” Jacobson said. “And if one of those three doesn’t want to do it, it’s not here.”Humboldt Bay and the neighboring town of Eureka are home to aquaculture businesses, fisheries, environmental justice organizations, local tribes and many other residents and stakeholders whose opinions on the project differ.A recent survey from Oregon State University and the Schatz Energy Research Center found 37% of Humboldt residents in favor of offshore wind, 44% unsure and 19% opposed.Eureka has a long history of boom-and-bust cycles — ranging from gold to lumber to marijuana — and some communities are still reeling from the fallout from those industries.“There are a lot of people who say we are going to be the sacrifice zone again,” said Jennifer Kalt, executive director of the Humboldt Bay Waterkeeper, an environmental nonprofit. “This whole community is dealing with the ramifications of what was left behind from all that mess.”A draft environmental report is expected next year, and it will include plans to address potential harm to the ecosystem. Kalt worries some species, such as the eelgrass, will be destroyed by the regular dredging required to maintain a water depth of 40 feet to accommodate the ships for the new terminal.The biggest immediate impact is likely to fall on the approximately 300 residents of Samoa, a town that sits on the tiny spit of land that protects the bay. The windswept community is home to historic mill houses and a new low-income housing complex right next to where the turbine components will be stacked and assembled.The 1,000-foot turbines will tower over these homes as they are being erected. Some locals worry about noise, light and air pollution during what could be a decade of construction.Keep Reading
