EcoNews Report
A weekly environmental news roundup produced in Arcata, California by Tom Wheeler (Environmental Protection Information Center), Caroline Griffith (Northcoast Environmental Center), Alicia Hamann (Friends of the Eel River), Jen Kalt (Humboldt Waterkeeper) and Colin Fiske (Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities).
EcoNews Report
Charting a Course for Offshore Wind
Offshore wind has a lot to offer: Humboldt’s wind resources are virtually unmatched in North America and we have the potential to produce gigawatts of low-carbon power off our coast and Humboldt Bay is one of the few ports on the West Coast capable of assembling the monster 600+ foot tall turbines, creating the potential that Humboldt Bay could become the American center of offshore wind technology. But the technology offers risks to the environment and the severity of these risks is hard to gauge because the technology has not been deployed in our ocean environments before.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is close to opening up the coast for competitive bids for development. What is in store for Humboldt County? Matthew Marshall from the Redwood Coast Energy Authority joins Gang Green to discuss.
REQUIRED READING:
- “Redwood Coast Offshore Wind,” Redwood Coast Energy Authority.
- Schatz Energy Research Center's offshore wind energy page features 24 reports (and that's just the first set!), recordings of panel discussions from Fall 2020, and more.