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March 13, 2025 - In Community‚ Government‚ News By Marketing Communications 0

CORE Hub March 2025 Newsletter

Good Afternoon Community Partners,

Here is your newsletter on offshore wind and related interests.

Upcoming opportunities for funding, leadership and learning:

  • Humboldt Bay Harbor District Board of Commissioners 
    • The District is implementing an expert speaker series as part of their regular monthly meetings
      • The agendized update on the Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal Project will now include technical experts from their consulting team.
      • The list of planned presentations can be found in the February 13, 2025 Board Meeting packet (pages 24-25).
    • The next meeting of the Harbor District Board of Commissioners is Thursday March 13th 6:00-8:00pm, 601 Startare Drive Eureka
      • Agenda Packet
      • Speaker series focus is Planned and Budgeted Project Amenities and will feature Rob Holmlund on the Community Benefit Grant Program, Brett Vivyan on the Great Redwood Trail, and Marc Percher on the work dock and fishermen storage. Also presenting on a marine focus is Shelly Anghera on SAP, dredging, and marine geotech.
      • Receive Status Update Regarding the Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal Project  
        • Recommendation: Receive the report and provide directions.  
        • Summary: The Board has requested a monthly update regarding the Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal Project. Updates may include the status of grants, budgets, schedules, technical studies, funding opportunities, tasks completed, tasks underway, upcoming tasks, community engagement, and the latest overall project strategy. This report will provide an update for March 2025. 
      • Receive Report Regarding the “Green Terminal Roadmap” for the Heavy Lift Marine Terminal Project (Green Terminal Roadmap information starts on page 26 of the Agenda Packet.)
        • Recommendation: Receive report and provide directions. 
        • Summary: On January 4, 2024, the Board adopted Resolution 2024-01: “A Resolution Committing the District to Developing and Adopting a Green Terminal Strategy and Roadmap for the New Heavy Lift Multipurpose Terminal to Support the Offshore Wind Industry”. That Resolution included Board direction for staff to bring a Strategy/Roadmap before the board by March of 2025. Staff and consultants working for the District will present a Roadmap to the Board, which outlines what will be accomplished over the next several months. The schedule is to have a Green Terminal Plan before the Board in July 2025. 
      • Consider Accepting Public Comment via Zoom  
        • Recommendation: Staff recommends that the Board consider accepting public comment during regular monthly Commission Meetings via Zoom and direct staff to implement appropriate procedures and protocols to begin receiving such comments starting with the May 8, 2025 Regular Board Meeting.  
        • Summary: The district, through its recurring community engagement activities and by its adoption of the Community Engagement Strategies for the Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal, has established firm commitments and objectives to support inclusiveness and equity and to provide an easy opportunity for public participation. 
  • The Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC) is organizing an Offshore Wind Information Panel in Crescent City on Friday, March 14th, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. This event is designed to help inform the community on the ecological concerns regarding offshore wind and the research that is being done to identify and reduce the potential impacts from offshore wind on birds, marine mammals, and turtles.
    • The event is being held at the United Methodist Church (664 H Street) in Crescent City.
    • On the panel will be Audubon’s Director of Public Policy Mike Lynes, who will be presenting Audubon’s recent report, “Birds and Offshore Wind,” that identifies potential impacts of offshore wind projects on birds and solutions to those impacts.
    • Brandon Southall, Chief Scientist at the California Ocean Alliance and professor at UC Santa Cruz, will be presenting ongoing research to identify the potential impacts to marine mammals and sea turtles from offshore wind. 
    • Tom Wheeler, the Executive Director and Attorney from EPIC, will be discussing why EPIC supports responsible offshore wind development, where the North Coast is in the permitting process, and how the new federal administration will affect offshore wind lease areas.
    • A recording of this panel will be available at NorthCoastOffshoreWind.org where EPIC has resources and responses to frequently asked questions about offshore wind development on the North Coast.
  • Pacific Offshore Wind Summit 2025
    • May 19 – 21, 2025, SAFE Credit Union Convention Center, Sacramento, California
    • The Pacific Offshore Wind Summit brings together state and federal officials, industry leaders, and other stakeholders to mobilize support and build momentum for California to meet its ambitious planning goals to generate up to 5 gigawatts (GW) from offshore wind by 2030 and a nation-leading 25 GW by 2045.

County of Humboldt Updates:

  • Humboldt County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy Survey
    • The survey will be open Thursday, March 5 through Sunday, March 16, 2025.
    • A Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) is a plan that helps guide local economic development efforts and serves as a requirement for the county to be eligible for certain federal grants. The County of Humboldt produces a new CEDS every five years. Members of the public are invited to complete the 2025 Humboldt CEDS Community Survey before the updated CEDS is finalized. Survey results will help inform the county’s five-year economic development plan and identify actionable strategies for inclusive growth.
    • 2025 Humboldt CEDS Community Survey
  • Humboldt Regional Climate Action Plan
    • The County of Humboldt is collaborating with incorporated cities and community partners, including the Humboldt Waste Management Authority, Humboldt Transit Authority, Humboldt County Association of Governments and Redwood Coast Energy Authority, to develop a regional climate action plan.
    • The next step on the pathway to finalizing this plan is to prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) that assesses the plan’s potential environmental outcomes.
    • Information about how to submit comments and public meeting details on the Humboldt Regional Climate Action Plan page.
  • County of Humboldt 2025 Legislative Platform
    • Approved by Board of Supervisors January 28, 2025.
    • Each year, Humboldt County departments review and recommend state and federal legislation that would improve and enhance county financing, operation, and efficiency in service delivery. These legislative positions are adopted by the Board of Supervisors as a platform that guides county advocacy to our elected state and federal representatives.

Recent Events and Updates:

  • With leadership from many partners CORE Hub developed the linked comments on the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for existing California Offshore Wind leases. Thank you to everyone that participated in the work sessions and provided additional content and edits to direct and shape the document.
  • A cohort of CORE Hub staff and Community Benefit Network partners attended the California Ports and Offshore Wind Symposium in Long Beach last week. Our partners represented the community during a tribal roundtable, an environmental justice roundtable, a funders roundtable, environmental justice panel, and a meetup with organizations from THE Impact Project, a collective of Southern California organizations who advocate for zero emissions solutions that center frontline communities. Pictured is Lonyx Landry, who spoke on an environmental justice panel about CORE Hub priorities for port development in Humboldt Bay. 
  • CORE staff and Community Benefit Network Partners at the CEC Ports and OSW symposium last week. Where they had the opportunity to meet up with community based and environmental justice organizations to grow relationships in order to advance our collective priorities across the state. 

Resources, Information and Academic Articles:

Federal Policy Updates:

  • Local, Regional and State Perspectives:
    • Trump ally/aide proposes eliminating CA Coastal Commission
      • Article from The Sacramento Bee, February 26, 2025
      • President Donald Trump’s administration is eyeing California’s coastal watchdog as it establishes conditions California must meet to receive federal support for Los Angeles wildfire recovery. Ric Grenell, California Republican aide to Trump who’s considering a gubernatorial bid, told a crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference last Friday that the California Coastal Commission “needs to absolutely be defunded.”
    • Federal Funding Freeze Hamstrings Wildfire Prevention Efforts
      • Article from North Coast Journal, March 4, 2025
      • Federal funding freezes and budget cuts are hampering wildfire prevention efforts on the North Coast. This includes a freeze on $5.1 million in funding through the U.S. Forest Service for fire resiliency work. 
      • These freezes are causing work stoppages, project delays, and uncertainty, raising concerns that crucial fuel reduction projects may not be completed before the fire season. 
    • Oregon State Wildfire News
      • Oregon bans forever chemicals in wildfire fighting (OR Capital Chronicle, March 5, 2025) 
      •  An Oregon State bill is being proposed to establish legal immunity for utilities (OR Capital Chronicle, February 27, 2025) in the state if its equipment or personnel start or accelerate fires.  
    •  California EV rules not subject to Fed Government Accountability Office review
      • Article from Reuters, March 6, 2025
      • The GAO said the Biden administration’s approval of California’s landmark plan to end the sale of gasoline-only vehicles by 2035 is not subject to review and potential repeal by Congress. 
    • California delegation unites behind wildfire aid plea
      • Article from Politico, March 7, 2025
      • California lawmakers coalesced behind a bipartisan push for more wildfire recovery aid, projecting unity across party lines as President Donald Trump and other Republicans seek to link federal help to conservative policy priorities. 
      • A joint letter led by Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla and GOP Rep. Ken Calvert and signed by every member representing California urges congressional leaders to allocate more funding to help Los Angeles rebuild after catastrophic January wildfires that killed dozens of people and incinerated thousands of structures.
  • Federal Funding Updates:
  • Other key federal actions:
    • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (Dept of Commerce)  laid off 800 probationary employees on February 27, 2025 with more firings expected. Impacted departments include the National Weather Service, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, the National Hurricane Center, the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) that develops computer models to track global warming,  and the Office of Space Commerce.
    • The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) posted the interim final rule removing CEQ NEPA regulations. This rule will implement executive order Unleashing American Energy.
  • Executive Orders
  • Congressional Actions & Responses:

In the news:

  • A Fisherman’s Perspective in New Bedford
    • Fishermen may not like offshore wind, but some work for it
    • Article from The New Bedford Light January 6, 2025
    • In about two years, Vineyard Wind has paid about $8 million to local fishermen and vessel owners, many from New Bedford, like Alvernaz, to provide safety and security work during the wind farm’s construction
  • Suquamish Tribe, Seattle port sign MOA to expand economic, environmental partnership
    • Article from Tribal Business News January 22, 2025 
    • The Suquamish Tribe and Port of Seattle have signed a new memorandum of agreement (MOA), establishing partnerships on economic development, environmental protection, and other shared priorities. The agreement was celebrated at a January 8, 2025 ceremony at the Port of Seattle headquarters. The event featured Indigenous drumming, tribal speakers and traditional gift exchanges. The MOA outlines plans for regular communication, environmental stewardship, and creates a policy committee to coordinate efforts between the port and tribe. The committee will work to develop “intergovernmental advocacy” through annual meetings and long-term cooperation. 
  • Trump Tariffs Spark Fears of Clean Energy Supply Chain Chaos
    • Article from Scientific American, February 3, 2025
    • President Trump’s new tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China could hit the electric vehicle, solar, battery and wind industries particularly hard
  • Taking Gov. Tina Kotek’s temperature on Oregon’s climate change response
    • Article by Oregon Public Broadcasting, February 4, 2025
    • OPB asked Kotek to explain her record on climate and the environment including some of the top issues shaping Oregonians lives today. Here’s what she said about the state’s climate progress, how federal funding will affect Oregon’s goals, what climbing utility rates mean, what the state government can do, and more.
  • Clean energy growth shattered records in 2024, but political uncertainty looms
    • Article curated by Environmental Health News February 14, 2025
    • Clean energy installations in the U.S. surged 47% last year, driven by tax credits and falling costs, but future growth faces challenges from the Trump administration’s policies.
  • Trump’s wind power restrictions put blue states’ climate goals out of reach
    • Article from The Washington Post February 16th, 2025
    • States like New York and New Jersey have been forced to rethink their offshore wind projects and won’t be able to meet ambitious renewable-energy targets without them. A freeze on wind project approvals threatens so many plans that it could undercut the country’s climate goals.

Previous CORE Hub January 2025 Newsletter
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