Upcoming opportunities for leadership and learning:
- Coastal Commission September Board meeting to take place in Eureka
- September 9-11, 2026, Adorni Center, 1011 Waterfront Drive, Eureka, CA
- All three days of the meeting begin at 9am and will start with an hour of public comment. Submit a request to speak by 5:00 pm the day before the hearing.
- Agenda and speaker request form here
- The Coastal Commission has no action to take around the Heavy Lift Marine Terminal Project at this meeting. In the future (likely 1-2 or years out), the project will require Coastal Commission review and permitting, including relevant updates to the local coastal plan and a Consolidated Coastal Development Permit.
- The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will hold public scoping sessions in Eureka Next Month on the Proposed Decommissioning of PG&E’s Dams on the Upper Eel
- Lost Coast Outpost Reports, August 13, 2026
- FERC is holding public scoping sessions in Eureka on Sept. 15 and 16 as part of its environmental review of PG&E’s proposal to decommission the dams and related infrastructure on the Upper Eel River. The meetings are part of FERC’s evaluation of PG&E’s application to surrender its license for the project, which has become the center of a broader political debate over whether the aging facilities should be removed or transferred to a new operator. Residents can provide input at the meetings or submit comments online through Sept. 18.
- Employment Opportunity
- Northern California Indian Development Council: Tribal Wind Engagement Coordinator
- Open until filled
- The Tribal Wind Engagement Coordinator supports NCIDC’s efforts to engage Tribal Nations, communities, and stakeholders in wind‑energy planning, consultation, and workforce development. This role strengthens Tribal sovereignty by ensuring Tribes have access to accurate information, technical assistance, and culturally grounded pathways to participate in wind‑energy opportunities.
- Employment Opportunity
- Redwood Coast Energy Authority: Director of Engagement & Regional Climate Planning
- Open Until Filled, First Review of Applications: August 3, 2026
- The Director will provide oversight into all functions and activities within RCEA’s newly created Engagement and Regional Climate Planning department. This newly created department is dedicated to enhancing awareness of RCEA and climate work throughout the community and increasing the capacity of our region to accomplish climate goals. Activities will include Community Outreach, Regional Climate Action Planning, and Offshore Wind Advocacy.
- Employment opportunity for Cal Poly undergraduates
- The Schatz Energy Research Center is hiring a student research intern to join their team to conduct battery siting research. This paid, part-time internship is expected to start in October 2026 and continue through the Spring 2027 semester.
- The student research Intern will support research on social, policy, and environmental factors that shape the siting of BESS facilities in California.
- Applications due by Monday, September 14, 2026, at 8am Pacific.
- Learn more and apply here
- Transit Month & Week Without Driving
- September is Transit Month! The Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities will be celebrating all month with events and public education about the crucial role public transit plays in supporting our local economy, our local communities, and our local environment.
- Public Talk: Protecting transit’s role in multi-racial inclusive democracy
- Thursday, September 10, 2026, 5:45 pm – 6:45 pm
- McKinleyville Family Resource Center, 1615 Heartwood Drive, McKinleyville
- Bus Driver Meet & Greet
- Monday, September 14, 2026, 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
- Humbrews, 856 10th Street, Arcata
State and Federal Updates:
- CA Attorney General and CA Energy Commission File Lawsuit Challenging Trump Administration Offshore Wind Lease Buyout
- CA Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General, Aug 28, 2026
- California is challenging the legality of the US Department of the Interior’s payment of $120 million to Golden State Wind to abandon its offshore wind energy lease in the Morro Bay wind energy area.
- US Department of the Interior announces 3rd oil and gas lease sale in the Gulf
- Department of the Interior (DOI), Aug 12, 2026
- The U.S. DOI announced that its third Gulf offshore oil and gas lease sale generated approximately $82.7 million in high bids for 59 offshore blocks, with 16 companies submitting 69 bids totaling about $99.5 million. The administration presented the sale as part of its “American Energy Dominance” agenda, emphasizing domestic energy production, energy security, job creation, and affordable energy. The sale offered roughly 15,100 unleased blocks covering 80.4 million acres across the Gulf. The Department also highlighted the Gulf’s significant estimated reserves of recoverable oil and natural gas, framing offshore development as an important contributor to the U.S. economy and long-term energy supply.
- Department of the Interior and RWE reach offshore wind lease buyout agreement
- RWE Americas, LLC, Aug 6, 2026
- RWE U.S. Offshore announced that it reached a $1.22 billion settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of the Interior and will relinquish its offshore wind leases in the New York Bight, offshore California, and offshore Louisiana. The company said it had invested more than $1 billion in acquiring the leases and developing the projects but concluded there was “no path forward” to permit them in the United States for the foreseeable future. According to RWE, the settlement resolves its claims against the federal government and allows the company to redirect capital to other energy investments, including a $900 million investment in the Louisiana LNG Project, a $300 million natural gas turbine reservation agreement, and the development of a pipeline of natural gas peaking projects across the U.S. RWE also stated that it plans to invest approximately $20 billion in the U.S. over the next six years to expand its generation portfolio.
- For the North Coast, the announcement means RWE is relinquishing its California offshore wind lease associated with the Canopy floating offshore wind project area off Humboldt County, effectively ending its plans to develop that lease area under current conditions.
- The California Energy Commission is challenging the deal and has subpoenaed RWE.
- CEC discusses RWE lease buyout at a Politico event on 8/11
- Minute 21:28
- Reporting:
- Times Standard– ‘Gift to the fossil fuel industry’: RWE relinquishes North Coast offshore wind lease, part of $1.22B Trump admin deal
- Sheppard– Expected Lawsuit Could Impact Trump Administration’s Offshore Lease Termination Strategy
- BlueGreen Alliance –Tracking Trump Administration’s Offshore Wind Buyouts
- This new tracker tallies the taxpayer, energy, and economic impacts of the Department of Interior’s recent lease termination agreements with offshore wind developers.
- Canary Media –Reporter Ajani Stella tells the stories of several offshore wind workers reckoning with the federal government’s attack on the industry.
- Podcast: EcoNews Report
- California Bills to Keep Your Eye On:
- The last day to amend bills on the floor is August 28, and the last day for each house to pass bills is August 31
- AB 1761 (Rogers, D) Electricity: calculation methodology: nonbypassable charges: data disclosure.
- AB 2111 (Papan, D) Electricity: transmission planning and transmission facilities.
- SB 1158 (Stern, D) Energy: reliability planning assessment.
- Oregon Offshore Wind Energy Roadmap Published and Submitted to Legislature
- Oregon Department of Land, Conservation, and Development, July 27, 2026
- Oregon’s DLCD has delivered an Offshore Wind Energy Roadmap to the state legislature, fulfilling a requirement of House Bill 4080 (2024). The roadmap is not an endorsement of offshore wind development, but rather a planning framework to help Oregon evaluate future options and establish standards if offshore wind projects are proposed
- Further reporting:
Recent Events and Updates:
- Rob Holmlund to Humboldt County Association of Governments: Former Development Director for Eureka and the Harbor District Set to Lead Humboldt Association of Governments
- Lost Coast Outpost, Aug 12, 2026
- From HCAOG Press Release: As Executive Director, Holmlund plans to focus on strengthening HCAOG’s role as a regional leader in transportation planning, expanding collaboration with member agencies and partners, and enhancing the organization’s effectiveness in addressing Humboldt County’s transportation and planning priorities.
Resources, Information and Academic Articles:
- Turn Forward – Grid Under Pressure: Offshore Wind Performance, Project Withdrawals, and What’s in Store: In this webinar, Turn Forward Executive Director Hillary Bright has a conversation with Grid Strategies Vice President Seth Kaplan and former AEMO CEO and PJM EVP Audrey Zibelman about offshore wind’s performance during summer heat waves and what recent project withdrawals mean for grid reliability and ratepayers going forward.
- New paper – Mapping the Evidence for Cumulative Adverse Effects of Offshore Wind Installations on Birds
- Published Aug 21, 2026, in Environmental Management, a Springer Nature Journal
- Although research on offshore wind and birds has grown, the evidence needed to assess cumulative impacts across projects remains limited. Most studies focus on identifying vulnerable bird species and collecting baseline data before development, very few examine how impacts accumulate over time, interact across projects, or affect population viability. The authors found that the existing research is heavily concentrated in the North Atlantic, leaving important geographic gaps. The article posits that regulators and planners need more targeted research on cumulative effects to support informed decision-making as offshore wind deployment expands.
- Community Benefits Agreements resource
- Climate and Community Institute, August 2026
- This site includes a toolkit, report, and case studies designed to help communities negotiate with developers of energy transition projects.
- The report titled Building Community Power: Community Benefits Agreements Across the Global Supply Chain, is based on two years of research and interviews with communities involved in CBA negotiations, and consultation with scholars and practitioners. The report argues that CBAs can give communities leverage over project design, governance, benefits distribution, and even whether projects proceed at all
- Humboldt Bay Shellfish Mariculture Business Survey: Assessing Economic Conditions and Contributions
- Schatz Energy Research Center, 2026
- Humboldt Bay plays a critical role in California and the U.S. West Coast shellfish industry due to its strong environmental conditions and unique ability to produce and export shellfish seed. Since 2015, the bay has produced more than half of California’s market-sized oysters annually and, in 2024, supplied market-sized shellfish to at least 177 businesses and shellfish seed to 136 farms. As the only California bay with the high-health status needed to export seed across state lines, Humboldt Bay supports shellfish farms throughout California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. The report estimates that Humboldt Bay supplies seed to 66% of West Coast shellfish farms and supports roughly 46% of the region’s production of Pacific oysters, Kumamoto oysters, and Manila clams, representing approximately $88.9 million in sales revenue in 2023. Overall, the seed produced in Humboldt Bay is estimated to support $155.5 million in annual economic activity and more than 1,500 jobs across the West Coast.
In the news:
- MP18 Fire in Hoopa
- Last updated: August 26, 2026
- information and updates from CalFire
- 7,610 acres, 92% contained
- Lost Coast Outpost updates
- Wait, what is going on with offshore wind again?
- EPIC Blog, August 25, 2026
- Federal opposition has disrupted California’s offshore wind plans. After courts blocked attempts to halt already permitted projects, the federal administration shifted to negotiating settlements with developers to surrender offshore wind leases, leading to the relinquishment of three of California’s five offshore wind leases, including one off Humboldt. California and other states are challenging those agreements in court, arguing that lease cancellations and payouts violate federal law. The Humboldt Bay Harbor District is moving forward with environmental review and permitting for its proposed heavy-lift marine terminal, and transmission upgrades identified by CAISO are advancing through development and routing studies.
- The Trump administration upended how the West fights wildfires. California is bracing too
- CalMatters, August 24, 2026
- Federal wildfire management has shifted toward a “full suppression” strategy under the Trump administration, with a new U.S. Wildland Fire Service created to consolidate federal firefighting resources. Critics warn that suppressing all fires could worsen long-term wildfire risk by allowing more vegetation and fuel to accumulate in forests, continuing a cycle that many scientists and fire managers say has contributed to today’s larger, more destructive fires.
- Against the wind: unions are fighting for good US renewable energy jobs
- The Guardian, August 23, 2026
- Union workers in the offshore wind industry are building careers through labor-led training programs and see renewable energy development as a source of stable, well-paying jobs. Unions argue that recent federal efforts to slow offshore wind development threaten both climate progress and economic opportunities for workers, and they are organizing to defend renewable energy investments and union job growth.
- Researchers Found Almost Triple the Normal Number of Dead Marine Mammals on North Coast Beaches Last Month
- Lost Coast Outpost, August 21, 2026
- Researchers documented a spike in marine mammal deaths along the North Coast in July, finding 28 dead animals, nearly three times the typical July average. The animals included mostly seals and sea lions, along with at least two humpback whales. Cal Poly Humboldt’s Marine Mammal Stranding Program, which has monitored a 140-mile stretch of coastline from northern Mendocino County to Del Norte since 2012, said this was the highest monthly total recorded in more than a decade.
- Scientists do not know the cause of the increase. Researchers are investigating a range of factors including changing ocean conditions, marine heat waves, boat strikes, food availability, and broader environmental changes.
- Arcata Earns Over Half a Million Dollars to Study Restoration and Climate Change Adaptation Project for Jolly Giant Creek
- Lost Coast Outpost Reports, Aug 19, 2026
- Arcata received nearly $600,000 from the California Coastal Conservancy to study how to restore Jolly Giant Creek and Butcher Slough and reduce flooding risks that are expected to worsen with sea level rise, king tides, and climate change.
- The Redwood Coast Energy Authority Now Controls a Huge Battery Storage System in the California Desert, Delivering Solar-Generated Electricity When the Sun is Down
- Press Release August 19, 2026
- EDP Renewables North America and RCEA have completed the Sandrini Energy Storage project in Kern County, a 92 MW battery system capable of storing enough energy to serve the equivalent of more than 22,000 homes. Co-located with the 300 MW Sandrini Solar facility, the project will provide energy storage services for RCEA, help improve grid reliability, and deliver renewable energy when demand is highest. The project highlights the growing role of battery storage in California’s energy transition.
- World’s first seaweed harvest between 139 offshore wind turbines in the Netherlands-can-serve two purposes at once
- Times of India, August 17, 2026
- The EaRTH Center is coming!
- Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities, August 14, 2026
- Construction will soon begin on the Eureka Regional Transit and Housing Center. Eureka has long needed a good downtown transit hub and more walkable housing, and this project provides both.The EaRTH Center is made possible by the state’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP).
- Humboldt County is keeping its offshore wind options open
- Jefferson Public Radio, August 11, 2026
- Roman Battaglia reports on the County of Humboldt’s Bay Area Plan update and implications for the Humboldt Bay Harbor District’s heavy lift marine terminal.
- Offshore Wind Is Outgrowing the Boats That Build It
- Switched ON Podcast, August 11, 2026
- Podcast host Kamala Schelling talks to analyst Kajsa Jernetz about how the increasing size of offshore wind components could pose issues for the industry’s supply chain.
- An oil field became California’s first carbon vault. Who’s responsible if something goes wrong?
- CalMatters, August 10, 2026
- California’s first commercial carbon capture and storage project is operating at the Elk Hills oil field in Kern County even though the state has yet to finalize regulations required by law. Critics argue that California is allowing a major new climate technology to move forward without clear rules governing long-term monitoring, financial responsibility, cleanup obligations, and accountability if stored carbon escapes or causes environmental problems. The project could receive billions of dollars in public subsidies and incentives through federal and state programs, raising questions about whether taxpayers are assuming risks while a major oil company reaps the benefits.
- How does California’s new $3,500 EV rebate work?
- CalMatters, August 10, 2026
- California has launched MyFirstEV, a new rebate program aimed at helping first-time electric vehicle buyers and lessees. California residents can receive an instant rebate of $3,500 for a new zero-emission vehicle priced under $50,000 or $1,750 for a used EV priced under $25,000. The program was created after federal EV tax credits were eliminated and is funded with $270 million from the state and participating automakers. To qualify, buyers must be purchasing or leasing an electric vehicle for the first time. The goal is to make EVs more affordable for new buyers and expand EV adoption among Californians.
- Super El Niño Could Bring Heavy Rainfall and Record High Tides This Winter Plus Summer Lightning in Fire-Prone Regions Across the North Coast, Climate Scientists Warn
- Lost Coast Outpost, August 6, 2026
- Climate scientists warn that a Super El Niño could bring a very wet and hazardous winter to California; stronger storms, heavier rainfall, coastal flooding, ocean heat waves, and unusually high sea levels. Experts said in a public climate briefing that current conditions in the tropical Pacific have a high likelihood of developing into one of the strongest El Niño events on record, with impacts expected to intensify from fall into winter. Scientists noted that sea levels are already rising and could reach the highest levels ever recorded along the California coast, increasing flood risks for vulnerable coastal communities.
- For rural Californians, unreliable power has become the norm
- High Country News, November 3, 2025
- This article examines how California utilities’ use of fast-trip settings to reduce wildfire risk has led to frequent power outages in many rural communities. Nearly one million customers experienced fast-trip outages in 2024, more than in any previous year of the program. The piece presents the tension between reducing wildfire risk and maintaining reliable electricity service in the context of rural communities, and related challenges for public health, medically vulnerable populations, and economic losses.
Please reach out with your thoughts and questions.
Thank you from the CORE Hub Team!