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CORE Hub April 2026 Newsletter

An ocean sunset with a golden sky.
April 29, 2026 - In News By Linda 0

CORE Hub April 2026 Newsletter

An ocean sunset with a golden sky.

Upcoming opportunities for leadership and learning:

  • Community Benefits and Conservation Priorities Webinar
    • Western Conservation Foundation, April 30th, 12:00-1:00 pm
    • The webinar will explore how community benefit mechanisms (CBMs) can support both renewable energy development and conservation priorities. It will highlight real examples from the field and feature short presentations from Apex Clean Energy and Audubon Southwest. The session focuses on how effective advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and thoughtful project design can accelerate renewable energy siting while investing in local communities and protecting natural resources, followed by a panel discussion and Q&A. 
  • Speaker series: America’s Nuclear Waste Gridlock and the Future of the Humboldt Bay Spent Fuel Site
    • Schatz Energy Research Center
    • This event is free and open to the public and will be held Thursday, April 30, from 5:30-7:00 pm in BSS 166 at Cal Poly Humboldt
    • A discussion on America’s nuclear waste gridlock and the future of Humboldt Bay’s own nuclear storage site with anthropologist Vincent lalenti, research faculty member at Cal Poly Humboldt. In this talk, lalenti examines the legal, financial, and cultural forces that have influenced the U.S. nuclear waste program, and where Humboldt Bay is situated within the broader national challenge of governing radioactive materials.
  • Redwood Coast Energy Authority is recruiting a paid Regulatory and Legislative Policy Intern
    • Position open until filled
    • First Review: May 4, 2026
    • The Regulatory and Legislative Policy intern will learn to identify, read, and analyze applicable legislation and regulations. The intern will work directly with the Regulatory and Legislative Policy Manager to summarize and prepare presentations on application legislation and regulations for presentation to RCEA Staff, the Board of Directors, and/or the local community. This is an excellent opportunity to start a career in energy and gain direct experience with legislative and regulatory policies.
    • Information here
  • Pacific Offshore Wind Consortium
    • Internships and professional development opportunities 
    • The Pacific Offshore Wind Consortium (POWC) is a West Coast, university‑led research and engagement partnership created to help coastal communities, Tribal Nations, and policymakers prepare for floating offshore wind development in California and Oregon.
    • This resource is a spreadsheet of current and near future professional opportunities
  • City of Eureka public infrastructure surveys
    • G Street Bike Boulevard Survey
      • City of Eureka
      • Survey open until April 30
      • The City of Eureka is beginning public outreach for its next bicycle‑boulevard project on G Street between 7th and Henderson, a corridor recommended in the 2024 Bike Plan based on data analysis, community input, and coordination with partner agencies. Before design work begins, the city is surveying residents to learn which traffic‑calming and bike‑friendly features they support or oppose. The goal is to use this feedback to shape a bicycle‑boulevard design that improves comfort, safety, and connectivity for people biking in Eureka.
    • Eureka Community Walk and Online Survey

Recent Events and updates: 

  • Environmental Review is underway for the Humboldt Bay Harbor District’s Humboldt Bay Heavy Lift Marine Terminal Project
    • The Harbor District Community Engagement and Community Benefit Advisory Committee will be hosting a public meeting to share information about the Heavy Lift Marine Terminal Project the evening of Wednesday, June 24th, at the Community Center in Arcata. Details and more information coming soon!
    • The first official comment period will come after the Notice of Preparation (NOP) for CEQA review is released in August. 
    • At their March 12, 2026 Board of Commissioners meeting (agenda packet), the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation District provided an updated timeline for the Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal Project, as follows:

State and Federal Updates:

  • Fiscal Year 2027 President’s budget
    • Whitehouse, April 3, 2026
    • Cuts to Woke Programs Fact Sheet
    • Fiscal Year 2027 Topline Fact Sheet
    • Ending the Green New Scam Fact Sheet
    • The FY 2027 presidential budget proposes major reductions to federal climate, clean‑energy, and environmental programs. The plan includes roughly $15 billion in cuts to Department of Energy clean‑energy and climate‑related research, including programs that support renewable energy development and national laboratory work. It also proposes nearly a 50% reduction to the Environmental Protection Agency, affecting air‑quality enforcement, Superfund cleanup, and environmental justice initiatives. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration would see about $1.6 billion in cuts, with climate research and education programs specifically targeted. The budget also eliminates or sharply reduces funding for EV charging infrastructure, battery manufacturing incentives, and community clean‑energy financing programs such as the CDFI Fund.
  • The Department of the Interior (DOI) is reunifying the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) into the Marine Minerals Administration.
  • Statewide Strategy for the Coexistence of California Fishing Communities and Offshore Wind
    • California Coastal Commission
    • The Statewide Strategy for the Coexistence of California Fishing Communities and Offshore Wind Energy was approved at the California Coastal Commission’s April 16 2026 meeting per the deadline set by SB 286 which required the Commission to convene the 7C Fishermen’s Working Group and produce a statewide framework addressing how OSW and fishing communities can coexist.
    • The Strategy was developed by the Working Group, along with various state agency representatives and California wind energy area lessees to guide offshore wind development in a way that avoids, minimizes, and mitigates impacts on California’s commercial, recreational, and Tribal fisheries.
  • BOEM Releases Final Environmental Impact Statement for Platform Gilda Well Stimulation Proposal Offshore California
    • Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, April 22, 2026
    • BOEM has released the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Platform Gilda Well Stimulation Treatment Program in federal waters off California (in between Ventura and the Channel Islands). The EIS evaluates the potential environmental effects of allowing well‑stimulation treatments, such as acidizing and hydraulic fracturing, at the existing Platform Gilda facility 8.8 miles off the coast on the Outer Continental Shelf (in 205 feet of water). Hydraulic fracturing was previously conducted in the Santa Clara Unit, which includes Platform Gilda, between 1986 and 2014 
    • The document analyzes impacts on marine life, water quality, air quality, cultural resources, and other environmental factors, and it identifies mitigation measures BOEM may require if the project moves forward. Releasing the final EIS is a key step before BOEM decides whether to approve, deny, or modify the operator’s request to conduct well‑stimulation activities.
    • CA Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a comment letter to BOEM in March, identifying that DOI’s reliance on emergency energy procedures to approve well stimulation on Platform Gilda is unlawful, the EIS conflicts with the Ninth Circuit’s injunction by failing to consider reasonable alternatives, and the project requires a legally sufficient EIS that addresses other agency impacts, a full range of alternatives, changed circumstances, environmental harms, and flawed well‑stimulation assumptions.
  • California Election Update: CalChamber ‘Building and Affordable California Act’ (BACA) Initiative

Resources, Information and Academic Articles:

  • California’s Clean Energy Journey
    • California Energy Commission
    • ‘California’s Clean Energy Journey’ tells the story of the state’s progress toward a 100% clean energy future. The interactive website offers an accessible, non-technical overview of the work underway to transform the energy sector, including videos, dashboards, and infographics.’
  • Post Mountain Clean Energy Study
    • Flowra Platform, March 30, 2026
    • The Post Mountain Clean Energy Study is a California Energy Commission funded analysis in Trinity County led by Flowra Platform in partnership with Trinity County to determine how to bring reliable electricity to the unincorporated community of Post Mountain, California, which currently lacks grid power.
    • The study analyses 3 options:
      • Extending Trinity Public Utilities District (TPUD) power lines from Hayfork to Post Mountain
      • Connecting existing PG&E transmission lines that pass through Post Mountain to a new local distribution system
      • Building a solar microgrid to serve the community
    • ‘We recommend pursuing Option B2 (PG&E interconnection with TPUD distribution) as the preferred strategy. Although it has the highest upfront cost and requires coordination with PG&E, it offers the best balance of feasibility, environmental protection, and long-term success.’
    • The existing PGE transmission corridor goes through the Post Mountain community. The new 500kv transmission lines proposed to transport offshore wind energy might also go through Post Mountain.
  • Climate Issue Briefs
    • UC Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy, and the Environment
    • Learn about the climate issues California is facing with issue briefs developed by researchers and other subject matter experts
    • Example briefs: Building Decarbonization & Energy Efficiency, Electricity Affordability, Housing and Climate, and California Climate Change Leadership. 
  • Community-Port Collaboration Toolkit
    • Environmental Protection Agency
    • The Community‑Port Collaboration Toolkit is an EPA‑developed set of tools designed to help ports and nearby communities work together more effectively, especially around challenges related to air quality, land use, transportation, environmental justice, and port‑related impacts.
  • New White Paper on Tribal Co-Stewardship of U.S. Oceans
    • Biodiversity Funders Groups, April 14, 2026
    • This research offers recommendations and examples to help address gaps in philanthropic engagement with Tribal- and Indigenous-led marine conservation. It includes resources for funders, Tribal leaders, and public sector partners to build stronger collaboration and develop long-term, trust-based partnerships. This white paper is meant to serve as a practical guide to what is possible when philanthropy works in partnership with Tribal leadership alongside state and federal governments.

In the news:

  • What We Got Right — and Wrong — in ‘Abundance’
    • The Ezra Klein Show, April 28, 2026
    • The episode looks back at the ideas behind the “abundance agenda,” a policy philosophy arguing that the U.S. should make it dramatically easier and faster to build clean energy, housing, transmission, and other public‑benefit infrastructure. The hosts discuss what the movement has gotten right (like highlighting permitting bottlenecks, supply‑chain constraints, and the need for faster deployment) and what it has gotten wrong (such as underestimating political resistance, funding constraints, and the complexity of environmental review).
    • California leaders have increasingly cited abundance‑style arguments when pushing for reforms to speed up transmission lines, offshore wind ports, geothermal development, and solar‑plus‑storage projects. 
  • Vineyard Wind Contracts Lower Electricity Prices for Massachusetts Customers
    • Massachusetts government, April 27, 2026
    • Massachusetts announced that its long‑term contracts with Vineyard Wind are now active, and the state says this will lower electricity prices for customers, projecting about $1.4 billion in savings over 20 years. Officials report that the offshore wind project is already reducing winter electricity costs by supplying power at prices well below recent wholesale peaks, while also creating jobs, boosting the state’s economy, and cutting carbon emissions as part of Massachusetts’ broader clean‑energy strategy.
  • Oceantic Statement: Administration’s Latest Move Against Offshore Wind Favors Fossil Interests Over Energy Affordability
    • Oceantic Network, April 27, 2026
    • The Interior Department announced that it will buy back two offshore wind leases from Ocean Winds North America and Global Infrastructure Partners, reimbursing the companies for their lease payments while requiring them to invest in conventional U.S. energy projects. In response, the Oceantic Network criticized the move arguing that the administration is using taxpayer money to unwind legally executed offshore wind leases, harming the U.S. offshore wind sector and raising costs for consumers. He contrasted the cancellations with Massachusetts’ Vineyard Wind project, which he said is lowering electricity costs and demonstrating the economic benefits of offshore wind, warning that continued federal actions of this kind will leave consumers paying more while viable clean‑energy projects are halted.
  • Trump administration to pay 2 more companies to walk away from US offshore wind leases
    • WTOP, April 27, 2026
    • The Trump administration approved nearly $900 million in payouts to Bluepoint Wind (New Jersey and New York) and Golden State Wind (1 of the 3 lessees in the Morro Bay Wind Energy Area) to abandon offshore wind projects and redirect investment toward fossil fuels. The canceled projects were expected to power more than one million homes and support state renewable‑energy goals.
  • Engie Explores Lease Refunds as U.S. Offshore Wind Uncertainty Redirects Investment
    • ESG News, April 21, 2026
    • Engie, a major French energy company, is exploring refunds for its U.S. offshore wind leases as shifting federal policy creates deep uncertainty for the industry. The company has paused several projects and taken financial write‑downs, while other developers like TotalEnergies have already redirected money from offshore wind into U.S. oil and gas. Executives say the lack of stable federal support is pushing investment away from American offshore wind, even though the sector remains strong in other countries.
  • That SoCal Water Agency Says It’s Just in the Very Initial, Exploratory Phase of its Potential Bid to Take Over the Eel River Dams
  • The world is embracing offshore wind — even as the US retreats
    • Canary Media, April 21, 2026
    • Global offshore wind is expanding rapidly, with Europe and Asia accelerating construction and investment, but the United States is moving in the opposite direction as federal policy shifts sharply against the industry. Developers abroad are building record amounts of offshore wind capacity, lowering costs, and scaling up floating‑turbine technology, while U.S. projects are being canceled, delayed, or financially undermined by federal decisions that halt permitting, revoke support, or pressure companies to abandon leases. Analysts interviewed in the article say this retreat threatens U.S. energy security, manufacturing, and climate goals, especially as other countries race ahead in supply‑chain development and grid integration. States like California and New York still want offshore wind, but without federal alignment, the U.S. risks losing its position in a sector that is becoming a major pillar of global renewable energy growth.
  • US judge halts Trump admin’s blockade on new wind and solar projects
    • Canary Media, April 21, 2026
    • A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s nationwide freeze on new wind and solar projects on public lands. The administration had halted permitting and leasing earlier this year, effectively shutting down the federal renewable‑energy pipeline. The judge ruled that the government likely violated federal law by imposing the freeze without proper justification or process. The decision allows agencies to resume reviewing and approving renewable‑energy applications while the case proceeds. State officials, clean‑energy developers, and environmental groups say the ruling is critical for keeping projects moving at a time when the U.S. is already falling behind global competitors in wind and solar deployment. The administration is expected to appeal, leaving long‑term uncertainty for developers planning projects on federal land.
  • Burgum says offshore wind leaves nation vulnerable to ‘drone swarms’
    • Politico Pro, April 20, 2026
    • North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum argued that offshore wind farms could leave the United States vulnerable to attacks from drone swarms. Speaking at a House hearing, Burgum said turbines could serve as “landing pads” or staging points for hostile drones and claimed the structures complicate radar detection. National security experts quoted in the piece pushed back, saying there is no evidence that offshore wind poses such risks and noting that the U.S. already has tools to monitor and defend coastal infrastructure.
  • The renewable energy divide
    • Politico, April 16, 2026
    • California environmental politics are split over how quickly the state should build renewable energy and how much environmental review those projects should undergo. That divide surfaced when SB 1097, a bill by Sen. Scott Wiener, came before the Senate Environmental Quality Committee. The bill originally aimed to make it easier for renewable energy developers to secure permits without triggering full CEQA environmental review. Renewable energy companies supported the proposal, while roughly three dozen environmental groups opposed it, arguing it would weaken protections for habitats and ecosystems. The disagreement reflects a broader tension: some climate advocates emphasize rapid clean‑energy deployment, while others stress that ecosystems also need protection.
  • Two new studies could change critics’ opinions about how many birds die from wind turbines
    • Euronews, April 11, 2026
    • A 19‑month analysis at the Aberdeen offshore wind farm used AI‑assisted video to track more than 2,000 bird flight paths and recorded zero collisions. A second study in Germany tracked over four million migratory bird movements with radar and AI cameras and found that more than 99.8% of birds actively avoided turbines. Conservation groups note that some sensitive species still face risks and argue that siting rules remain weaker than scientific recommendations.
  • In a first, renewables beat natural gas on US grid last month
    • Canary Media, April 10, 2026
    • Renewable energy,  especially wind and solar, generated more electricity than natural gas across the U.S. grid in March 2026, marking the first time renewables have ever taken the monthly lead; this happened during a season when electricity demand is lower and renewable output is strong, but it still reflects how quickly clean energy has expanded despite political pushback and permitting challenges, with wind having its best month on record and solar continuing its rapid growth while natural‑gas construction faces supply‑chain delays, suggesting this milestone is less a fluke and more a preview of the grid’s future.
  • An 8-Story Parking Lot and Conference Center in Downtown Eureka? Humboldt Transit Authority and the City are Exploring a Grant Opportunity to Build It
    • Lost Coast Outpost, April 10, 2026
    • The City of Eureka and the Humboldt Transit Authority are studying whether to pursue a state transit grant to build an eight‑story parking structure and convention center at Third and G streets. The structure’s primary purpose would be a park‑and‑ride facility aimed at reducing vehicle miles traveled by encouraging people to leave their cars and connect to transit, biking, rideshare, or airport service. The study must show the project would meaningfully cut driving and be cost‑neutral to operate before HTA and the city decide whether to apply.
  • Inside California’s audacious bid to build the world’s deepest floating wind farm
    • LA Times, April 9, 2026
    • Highlights issues and interested parties in how our region is engaging with the offshore wind industry cluster.
  • California wants to fund green jet fuel — by raiding your road repair budget
    • CalMatters, April 8, 2026
    • The article describes Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to create a tax credit for producers of sustainable aviation fuel, a plan that could redirect hundreds of millions of dollars from California’s diesel excise tax revenues, funds normally reserved for highways and local streets, to support facilities like Phillips 66’s Rodeo refinery, which has struggled financially since converting to biofuels. Supporters, including lawmakers and labor groups, argue the credit is needed to keep refineries open, preserve jobs, and help California cut aviation emissions, while critics, ranging from environmental groups to the state’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, warn it could sharply reduce road‑repair funding, raise gas and diesel prices, and deliver climate benefits at an extremely high cost. 
  • The Trump Administration’s offshore wind opposition was never really about the whales
    • Canary Media, April 7, 2026
    • The piece highlights inconsistencies in how the Administration has invoked whale protection: it has promoted claims that offshore wind is killing whales, despite federal scientists stating there is no evidence for this and that whale deaths predate offshore wind activity. The administration lifted the Obama‑era “endangered” determination for the North Atlantic right whale, the formal finding that the species warranted protection under the Endangered Species Act, when doing so cleared the way for expanded offshore oil and gas development. This reversal removed a key regulatory barrier for fossil‑fuel projects, even as the administration cites whale protection as a reason to oppose offshore wind. 
  • The California Lake Billed as the ‘Saudi Arabia of Lithium’
    • New York Times, April 6, 2026
    • Lithium‑extraction efforts around the Salton Sea are advancing in a region already affected by significant environmental and public‑health issues. The exposed lakebed continues to generate dust linked to elevated asthma and respiratory problems, particularly among children, and that residents are attentive to how additional industrial activity might interact with these existing conditions. Geothermal‑brine lithium extraction is less land‑disturbing than traditional mining; the technology has not yet been proven at commercial scale, leaving questions about potential emissions, wastewater management, and cumulative environmental impacts. Community members are weighing the potential economic benefits against the need for strong oversight and monitoring to protect local health and the surrounding ecosystems.
  • Braiding knowledge: how Indigenous expertise and western science are converging
    • The Guardian, April 4, 2026
    • The piece argues that meaningful climate and ecosystem stewardship requires shifting power, not just adding Indigenous knowledge as an accessory but recognizing Indigenous sovereignty, sharing decision‑making authority, and treating Indigenous ways of knowing as equal partners rather than optional supplements.
  • The Final Master Plan for the Great Redwood Trail is Out. What Does it Mean for Humboldt?
    • Lost Coast Outpost, April 3, 2026
    • The Great Redwood Trail Agency (GRTA) has approved a master plan that will guide the decades‑long buildout of a 300‑mile hiking, biking, and equestrian trail along the former Northwestern Pacific Railroad between Humboldt Bay and San Francisco Bay. GRTA emphasizes that the trail’s development must protect cultural resources and includes commitments to deeper tribal involvement, including a forthcoming tribal liaison and advisory board. The plan identifies that it will reduce vehicle miles traveled by 3 million miles in total, with significant reductions in greenhouse gases and criteria pollutants. It includes a 1.1 mile Class I shared-use ‘spur trail’ path near Samoa, which is in early conceptual design stages and needs to be planned in partnership with the Humboldt Bay Harbor District as it would cross the District’s proposed Heavy Lift Marine Terminal Project area.

Please reach out with your thoughts and questions.

Thank you from the CORE Hub Team!

Previous CORE Hub March 2026 Newsletter
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