CORE Hub August 2024 Newsletter

Happy August Community Partners! Below is a copy of our August newsletter featuring news about offshore wind and related interests.

OSW Related Infrastructure Development Updates and Opportunity for Comment

• Substation Study Addendum to the Humboldt Wind Energy Area Transmission Corridor Evaluation
  • In May, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) approved an onshore transmission plan to invest in/build out additional infrastructure to facilitate offshore wind energy connecting to the state grid and to increase reliability around Humboldt Bay. That plan includes a new 500 kV substation. Last week, the California Energy Commission published an updated version of a study they commissioned from the Aspen Environmental Group that assesses initial environmental feasibility concerns of building the new substation, and identifying potential avoidance areas and potentially feasible areas. Substation equipment would require a minimum of 40 acres of land, but given the required space for high voltage transmission lines to enter and exit the substation, consideration of a site closer to 100 acres may be required. 2 geographic areas are assessed in the report, including the ‘Humboldt Substation Study Area’ and the ‘Samoa Substation Area’, as follows (on page 5 of the report): 

Humboldt Study Area avoidance areas and potentially feasible areas:

The Samoa study area siting constraints (ie: the Samoa study area is much less feasible than one of the 3 green areas of the Humboldt study area presented above) (p. 27 of the report):

• You can submit comments on the substation report to the California Energy Commission here via Docket 17-MISC-01. One way to frame your interests are in what you want in a developer, as the CAISO is going to be reviewing proposals from developers in October. If you get a letter into CEC before the end of August, it can help inform developers about what is important to the community and who to connect with. CORE Hub will be working on a letter that can be used as a template or a sign on. Let us know if you are interested in learning more, getting a copy, or collaborating on developing the letter. We’ll be sending it in by Friday 8/23. Reach out to amyj@hafoundation.org.
• Click here to read through the Substation Planning and Evaluation Report.
• The Humboldt Bay Harbor District published a Solicitation of Interest for the Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal Project 8/02/2024
  (excerpts from the Solicitation of Interest (SOI)):
  • The SOI is not a request for proposals, invitation to bid, or an obligation on behalf of the District to acquire any services or offer any lease or entitlement. The SOI is for planning purposes only.
  • The District is seeking from project proponents information that will guide the District in (i) developing the scope of the Project to meet the anticipated needs of the OSW industry, (ii) evaluating various approaches to Project design and implementation that balance the goals of OSW participants, tribal and labor leaders, and responsible environmental stewardship, (iii) exploring various strategies for public and private financing of the Project, (iv) obtaining logistical, technical, and operational information related to construction and development of port-oriented OSW infrastructure and related facilities, and (v) identifying criteria that the Board should consider when evaluating prospective private partners in significant roles in Project development.
  • Read Solicitation of Interest Here
  • Deadline to respond is 8/23/24. Respondents are expected to be a range of different entities that might have an interest in the project, including the offshore wind farm developers (RWE and Vineyard), OEMs (equipment manufacturers), financers, those interested in leasing the site, and others.

• Wind Terminal Working Group Meeting with Humboldt Bay Harbor District
  • A subset of the Wind Terminal Working Group met with Harbor District staff on Thursday to learn about their developer selection process and current project plans and talk about the group’s recommendations for an RFQ.
• The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is seeking ideas for baseline environmental and socioeconomic studies to inform decisions on potential offshore wind energy activities in the U.S. territories, as well as information on entities in the U.S. territories that have the capabilities, expertise, and interest in carrying out environmental monitoring and conducting studies. The deadline to respond is 23 August 2024.
• The Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute (REWI) is hosting its 15th Wind Wildlife Research Meeting (WWRM 2024) on 12-15 November 2024 in Corpus Christi, Texas. 
  

Upcoming opportunities for action, leadership, and learning:

• The draft Humboldt County Regional Climate Action Plan has been published and comments are due Friday September 13. 
• Harbor District Commission Seats up for Election in 2024
  • Division 1: encompasses southern Eureka, Loleta and the Ferndale area.
    • Commissioner: Aaron Newman
  • Division 2: covers southern Humboldt County including Fortuna, Rio Dell, Garberville and Shelter Cove.
    • Commissioner: Greg Dale
  • Division 5: extends from McKinleyville north to the county line and northeast Humboldt County.
    • Commissioner: Patrick Higgins
  • Incumbents Greg Dale and Aaron Newman are running again, Patrick Higgins is not. 
  • The candidate filing period closed this week. The next opportunity for folks to enter the race is through write-in candidacy, the period for which is 9/9-10/22 (process is called ‘Statement of Write-in Candidacy and Nomination Papers’). During this period, those who wish to be qualified write-in candidates must file their statements of write-in candidacy and nomination papers with the county elections official (per Elections Code, Sections 8600).
  • For more info on the candidate filing process, see https://humboldtgov.org/DocumentCenter/View/130266/Candidate-Guide—General-2024
• The U.S. Offshore Wind Synthesis of Environmental Effects Research (SEER) effort, led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) with support from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office, is continuing its free, public webinar series to share the latest research on the potential environmental effects of offshore wind energy development.
  • The next webinar, “Social Perceptions of the Environmental Effects of Offshore Wind Energy Development“, will take place on Wednesday, August 21st from 10:00-11:00am PST. The panelists will discuss how perceptions of offshore wind’s environmental effects shape public opinion and community engagement, and how to best communicate environmental information to the public. 
  • Register Here
    

Media Clips and Publications

• California lawmakers negotiating sweeping package to speed up solar, wind energy
  • Calmatters article discussing proposed legislation to streamline the way the state approves and supports renewable energy projects. 
  • The renewable energy proposals — a package internally called the “California Made” package — seek to offer incentives for building projects and their components in California. They would create tax credits, streamline local and state permitting and change how environmental reviews are conducted for some projects. Have thoughts? Contact ProTem McGuire’s Office:
    • Local: Nora Mounce Nora.Mounce@sen.ca.gov 
    • Sacramento: Chris Nielsen Christopher.Nielsen@sen.ca.gov 
• The Potential Environmental Impacts of Floating Offshore Wind in California
  • California Ocean Science Trust has compiled existing research into seven facts sheets:
    • Understanding Potential Environmental Impacts with Existing Research (General Takeaways)
    • Impacts to Marine Mammals from Pre-construction Surveys
    • Impacts to Seabirds
    • Impacts to Whales and Other Marine Mammals
    • Impacts to Fish and Seafloor Habitats
    • Impacts from Noise
    • Impacts from Electromagnetic Fields
  • Science Facts Sheets Here
• BOEM Finalizes Environmental Review of Wind Leases Offshore Oregon
  • The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)  announced the availability of its final Environmental Assessment (EA) of the possible impacts from issuing leases for potential offshore wind energy development off the Oregon coast, including site assessment and site characterization activities such as geophysical, geological, and archaeological surveys. The EA concluded that lease issuance would have no significant impacts to people or the environment.
  • BOEM Press Release 
• California State Assembly Select Committee on Ports and Goods Movement Chair’s Interim Report, published July 31
  • California’s Ports and Offshore Wind starting on page 22; it provides insights into how the Assembly is considering how to build out port capacity in the coming years.
• U.S. Offshore Wind Opponents Seek to Form National Group to Fight Projects
  • The National Offshore-wind Opposition Alliance, or NOOA, aims to bring a national profile to what is currently a fractured movement of dozens of local groups, according to its president, Mandy Davis.