Good Afternoon Community Partners,
Wishing peace, health, and joy to you and yours.
Here is your first newsletter of 2025 on offshore wind and related interests!
Presidential Action Related to Offshore Wind, Renewable Energy, and Climate
- Executive orders President Trump signed on the first day of his administration that seek to roll back environmental and climate protections; check out the TIMES summary of day 1 Executive Actions and/or read the full list of Executive Orders
- Note: the constitutionality of some of this will be challenged in court and some are not entirely within executive power to carry out
Some of the orders related to climate and energy (thanks to Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson for compiling this list):
o Withdraw from the UN Paris Climate Agreement and end climate aid to foreign countries
- Reopen protected waters to offshore oil and gas drilling and expedite permits for fossil fuel development
- Halt all offshore wind energy permitting, leasing ,and approvals
- With subsequent issuing of temporary suspension of delegation authority at the Department of the Interior to take various actions including:
- issuing any onshore or offshore renewable energy authorization, including but not limited to a lease, amendment to a lease, right of way, amendment to a right of way, contract, or any other agreement required to allow for renewable energy development. This does not limit existing operations under valid leases publishing notices in the Federal Register related to agency actions, issuance of or changes to Resource Management Plans, granting of rights of way, and a number of other actions.
- Declare an energy emergency to allow fossil fuel projects to evade environmental protections
- Revoked a decades old executive order giving the White House Council on Environmental Quality the power to craft rules for how agencies comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
- Suspended all Inflation Reduction Act funding disbursements
- Cancel the commitment to 30×30, the goal to protect 30% of our lands and waters by 2030.
- Signs order “Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential” that removes protections for Alaska resources and environment
- Terminated policies that support the adoption of electric vehicles, including the EV tax credit
- Ceased support for energy and water efficient household appliances
- Invoked Schedule F to politicize government workers and insert politics into government actions
- Called to terminate all Environmental Justice offices and positions in federal government
- Here is the list of 78 of Biden’s Executive Orders that Trump rescinded yesterday
- Environmental Data and Governance Initiative (EDGI) is coordinating a multi-institution effort to preserve federal environmental and climate data and tools (over the last couple of days, a number of departments and agencies have removed content from their websites)
- EDGI is looking for recommendations for high-priority vulnerable datasets and tools to archive
- Please use this Google form to nominate data
Upcoming opportunities for funding, leadership, and learning:
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is currently developing new marine energy illustrations and is seeking input from marine energy scientists and educators regarding which graphics would be most beneficial to their work. The survey solicits preferences on illustration styles, types of graphics, and ideas for illustrations, with some example illustrations provided. The final illustrations will be made publicly available on Tethys and Tethys Engineering.
- Marine Energy Illustrations Survey
- Rural Power: an online call for rural resistance
- Virtual Event by Showing up for Racial Justice
- Thursday, 23 January 2025, 5:00pm PT
- Join a broad coalition of rural organizations for a virtual post-inauguration call where to talk about the stakes of this moment for rural people, hear stories of rural resistance, and share how you can show up to take care of our communities.
- BOEM Seeking Public Comment on draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for existing California Offshore Wind leases
- The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Is inviting public comment on a programmatic environmental analysis of anticipated impacts and potential mitigation measures on future development activities for the five offshore wind lease areas off the coasts of Humboldt and Morro Bay, so that those mitigation measures could be used as conditions for approval in Construction and Operations Plans.
- The draft PEIS was published on Nov. 14. Deadline to submit written comments is 8:59 pm PST Weds Feb. 12. Written comments can be submitted virtually on the Regulations.gov website.
- BOEM will hold two virtual public meetings so folks can learn more about the draft PEIS, ask questions, and provide verbal comments on the draft PEIS:
- Tues, Jan. 28 starting at 5pm, click here to register
- Thurs, Jan. 30 starting at 12pm, click here to register
o In collaboration with a few local partners, legal counsel, consultants, and organizations working around the state, CORE is coordinating development of:
- Full comment letter – sign on (draft ready to share on Fri 1/24)
- Brief summary letter (4-5 pages)
- Template for individual entities to adapt and send in (ready on Fri 1/31)
- Brief summary letter for Tribal Nations (4-5 pages)
- Template for individual entities to adapt and send in (ready on Fri 1/31)
o Let us know if you are interested in informing or contributing to the comment letters and advocacy processes.
- The Nature Conservancy is hosting a webinar, “Sharing the Social Value of Offshore Wind Through Community Benefits Agreements”, on Thurs. Jan. 23 at 9:00am PST Speakers will discuss their experience supporting community benefit agreements across Europe and Japan, and a new report which reviews examples of how the U.S. federal government and states are incentivizing and incorporating community benefits agreements into their offshore wind development processes.
- UC Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy, & the Environment (CLEE) is hosting a webinar on Mon. Feb. 3, from 9:30 to 11:00 am PT, intended for advocates and organizers who will be working on Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) and/or employing community benefits tools on infrastructure projects in 2025 and beyond.
- Event registration link can be found using this Google Forms link. A calendar and zoom link will be forwarded to registrants closer to the event.
- This session will offer a nuts-and-bolts review of select community benefits tools from CLEE’s report Community Benefits Tools and California Clean Energy Projects. Hector Huezo, California Director at Jobs to Move America, will share insights and answer questions based on his past work and his current involvement with the Valle Unido Por Beneficios Comunitarios coalition, which is calling for binding community commitments in future Imperial Valley lithium development.
- CA Ports and OSW Symposium
- February 21, 2025, Long Beach, CA (9:00am-6:00pm, including a tour of the Harbor)
- The Symposium is being organized by the California Energy Commission in collaboration with the Port of Long Beach. It will be an opportunity for community members, organizations, agencies, Tribal Nations, and industry to come together for discussions relating to:
- Upgrading ports to achieve offshore wind, climate and environmental goals
- Developing the new offshore wind workforce in port communities
- Working together to improve portside communities
- Register for the Symposium on the Port of Long Beach website
- A handful of folks from the Network will be participating in the Symposium. Let us know if you’ll be there! We’re working on collaborative meetings with organizations in Long Beach as well as a couple of state leaders. CORE Hub has a couple of travel stipends available to help a small Network delegation participate. Please let Rachael Smith, CORE Hub Manager, know as soon as possible if you’re interested in travel support to help you get to the Symposium. You can reach Rachael by email at RachaelS@hafoundation.org.
- The U.S. DOE Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) has opened applications for up to $400 million, through the Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas (ERA) Program, to spur innovative, community-focused, clean energy solutions for rural and remote communities across the United States. Concept papers are due by Feb. 27.
- The Oceantic Network is hosting the 2025 International Partnering Forum (IPF) from April 28 to May 1 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S. Early bird registration is open until 3 March 2025.
Resources, Information and Academic Articles
- Humboldt Bay Harbor District Technical Resources
- Humboldt Bay Harbor District website page for the Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal Project
- Includes many scientific studies, environmental assessments, and other information that will be important to project development and the CEQA and NEPA processes.
- Bird and Offshore Wind Report by the Audubon Society
- Audubon’s January 2025 report highlights the latest research and outlines a science-based path to environmentally responsible development in a changing climate.
- The report’s framework: Birds and people face unprecedented challenges from climate change, with two-thirds of North American bird species at risk of extinction. Transitioning to clean energy is one of the quickest and most effective ways to protect them from climate impacts
- Potential Exposure of Aquatic Organisms to Dynamic Visual Cues Originating from Aerial Wind Turbine Blades – Williamson et al. 2024
- For many aquatic species, vision is important for detecting prey, predators, and conspecifics; however, the potential impacts of visual cues from offshore wind turbines have not been investigated in these crucial contexts. This study considers the physics involved to support the formulation and testing of robust biological hypotheses. Marine migratory salmonid species are considered as an example species because their behavior in the marine environment is relatively well documented.
- WINDExchange Community Benefits Resources
- WINDExchange features a variety of community benefits resources, including the Wind Energy Community Benefits Guide and a Wind Energy Community Benefits Database that provide examples and information on structuring community benefit agreements that align with local needs and promote equity.
- DOE West Coast Offshore Wind Transmission Action Plan Charts Path to Increase Domestic Energy Production, Provide Cost Savings, Improve Grid Reliability and Local Energy Resilience, and Create Jobs
- From the Grid Deployment Office, 16 January 2025
- Roadmap shows phased and flexible coastal and offshore transmission build out will maximize economic benefits, enhance grid reliability, and minimize environmental impact.
- New report by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) about Community Benefits
In the news:
- How communities, officials and developers can work together on renewable energy development
- Researcher Katherine Hoff explains how negotiation and dialogue can smooth the energy transition.
- Interview by Erin X. Wong from High Country News, 21 January 2025
- Mentions work by CORE Hub and The Impact Project
- “Humboldt County in Northern California is trying to partner with CORE Hub, a community and tribal coalition in that area, and I think that’s the best-case scenario — county officials working closely with community representatives and really trying to collaborate.”
- They disagree on offshore wind, but they’re working together to fight disinformation
- Roman Battaglia’s article, 15 January 2025, on Jefferson Public Radio highlights the Coalition for Common Ground and the Winds of Change Conference, where diverse voices came together to tackle disinformation and share knowledge about offshore wind at Southwestern Oregon Community College in Coos Bay in December. Features Rachael Smith of CORE Hub.
- U.S. Department of Energy Invests More Than $18 Million in Marine Energy and Offshore Wind Research at Universities – U.S. DOE
- Article from the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy 4 December 2024
- The U.S. DOE recently announced an investment of more than $18 million for 27 research and design projects focused on advancing marine energy and offshore wind technologies with the goal of more widely deploying renewable energy sources. These projects at 17 universities, including five minority-serving institutions, will address challenges facing marine and ocean renewable energy industries and spur innovation and development.
- BOEM Identifies Environmental Measures for Wind Energy Development in the New York Bight – U.S. BOEM
- Article from BOEM, 2 December 2024
- In support of the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of deploying 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030, BOEM recently issued a Record of Decision identifying environmental measures expected to be applied to future wind energy development of the six lease areas offshore New York and New Jersey in an area known as the New York Bight. The record of decision identifies 58 previously applied avoidance, minimization, mitigation, and monitoring (AMMM) measures BOEM plans to apply across the six lease areas. To reduce potential environmental impacts, developers can consider these measures in the Construction and Operations Plans they submit to BOEM for subsequent review under the National Environmental Policy Act.
- America Can Recycle 90% of Wind Turbine Mass, According to New DOE Report
- Article from Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, 6 January 2025
- A new report from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) outlines recommendations that could increase the recycling and reuse of decommissioned wind energy equipment and materials to create a more circular economy and sustainable supply chain. Among other findings, the research reveals that existing U.S. infrastructure could process 90% of the mass of decommissioned wind turbines. However, the remaining 10% will need new strategies and innovative recycling methods to achieve a more sustainable wind energy industry.
- Video: Port of Long Beach Celebrates 20 Years of Leading Green at State of the Port
- Video released at the 20th anniversary of the Port of Long Beach historic Green Port Policy
- Featuring remarks by Chris Mikkelsen of the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation District and the MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) between the Port of Long Beach and Port of Humboldt
- Will Trump Venture to Impose ‘No New (Offshore) Wind Turbines’ Policy and Bring US Industry Supporting 120,000 Jobs to Halt?
- Article from Offshorewind.biz, 8 January 2025
- TotalEnergies, a French global energy company (and an oil & gas major) decided to pause the development of its offshore wind project in New York, citing political uncertainties following Donald Trump’s US presidential election win. Oceantic Network’s CEO Liz Burdock said momentum had already been built in the US offshore wind industry and, even though macroeconomic conditions are posing new challenges, the industry was thriving.
- BOEM plans to conduct another offshore wind energy lease auction in the Gulf of Mexico in 2026 off the coasts of Louisiana and Texas. In February 2024, Hecate Energy submitted an unsolicited application for multiple Wind Energy Areas off the coast of Texas. This led BOEM to issue a Request for Competitive Interest, to which Invenergy responded, triggering the auction.
- Article from Offshore Wind Biz, 12 December 2024
- Oregon kicked off a year-long process to develop an offshore wind roadmap required by House Bill 4080, passed last year. The state’s Department of Land Conservation and Development is leading the effort and will host monthly meetings through Summer 2025. The roadmap effort comes as BOEM recently cancelled an auction for two lease areas off Oregon’s coast due to opposition within the state and a lack of interest from developers.
- Article from Renewable Energy World, 31 October 2024
Thank you for your partnership and collaboration, please reach out with your thoughts and questions.