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Here is your newsletter on offshore wind and related interests.
Recent Events:
- Growing Partnership with Port Communities In Long Beach: CORE Hub partners from Humboldt met with THE Impact Project partners from Long Beach to strategize around how we can work together toward common interests in how wind terminals in both communities are developed.
- They discussed regional differences and similarities and identified upcoming work that the two regions could support each other in, such as NEPA/CEQA processes, the upcoming port readiness assessment required under AB 3, and codifying community decision making structures.
- Some discussion highlights:
- Port authorities and developers should invest in zero-emission electric equipment and commit to a long-term plan to phase down fossil fuel infrastructure to gain independence from fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants.
- Offshore wind projects must be responsive to Tribal Nations and Frontline Community needs and must include legally enforceable benefits that do not duplicate basic legal requirements (for example, offshore wind projects must advance benefits that go above and beyond basic mitigation measures required under CEQA).
- Pacific Offshore Wind Summit 2025
- Community and Tribal Partners as well as CORE staff recently attended the Pacific Offshore Wind conference in Sacramento. The event highlighted the challenges and opportunities in the offshore wind cluster amidst federal changes. Some main themes included; 1) navigating federal opposition; 2) creating a receptive environment in California as the state remains committed to utilizing offshore wind energy to meet decarbonization goals; 3) growing a sustainable supply chain; 4) permitting hurdles and more.
- Panel and Keynote speakers from the North Coast included Awbrey Yost and Arne Jacobson from Schatz Energy Research Center, Chair Jason Ramos from Blue Lake Rancheria, Supervisor Natalie Arroyo, and Humboldt Bay Harbor District Executive Director Chrise Mikkelsen.
Upcoming opportunities for leadership and learning:
- Humboldt Bay Harbor Recreation and Conservation District Board of Commissioners regular monthly Meeting
- Thursday, June 12, 6:00pm Woodley Island Marina Meeting Room, 601 Startare Drive, Eureka, CA 95501
- Technical Speakers for June (Upland Theme part 1)
- Josh Singer (Moffatt & Nichol) – Terminal operations Part 1
- Jeremy Patapoff (Moffatt & Nichol) – Stormwater and grading
- TBD (EMI) – Ground improvements and seismic
- Aaron Porter (Moffatt & Nichol) – Shoreline
- Recording of May 8th Board of Commissioners meeting
- Technical Speaker series theme for May was “Marine Project Elements Part 2,” with the following speakers and time stamps of their presentations:
- 37:04 Aaron Porter (Moffatt & Nichol) – Ship traffic analysis
- 1:00:25 Gwen Lawrence (Moffatt & Nichol) – Tow-out simulations and navigation assessment
State and Federal Updates:
- On Weds May 14, California published its revised budget. Here are some of the climate, energy, and environmental implications:
- Shift $42.8 million back to the general fund from the CEC for offshore wind activities (approved in the 2022-2023 budget) that the state will now instead fund through the Prop 4 climate bond (passed by voters in November 2024; part of the Governor’s Prop 4 Spending Plan introduced in February). (source: State Budget Summary)
- Shift $1.5 billion in Cal Fire operational costs to the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (1/3 of CalFire’s budget) (source: CalMatters)
- Extend the cap-and-trade program (source: CalMatters)
- $1billion in climate funds for high-speed rail (through 2045) (source: CalMatters)
- Statutory changes to streamline administrative processes to more quickly advance the Delta Conveyance Project; a trailer bill is being advanced to move this forward (source: State Budget Summary; Stocktonia)
- $6.6 million in funding through 2028 for state capacity to facilitate safe battery energy storage systems (source: State Budget Summary)
- $1.9 million through 2029 for clean energy licensing/permitting and compliance (source: State Budget Summary)
- $33 million back to the general fund from the CPUC for community renewable energy projects that were instead funded by the US EPA (in 2023) (source: State Budget Summary)
- The state is working to codify CEQA reforms in this legislative and budget cycle. We learned earlier this week that two CEQA exemption bills – SB607 and AB 609 – will be moving forward as a budget trailer bill. There are concerns about how the trailer bill will impact the AB52 Tribal consultation requirement under CEQA, amongst other concerns.
- On Thurs 5/22, the House passed the “One, Big Beautiful Bill” budget reconciliation package. It goes to the Senate next, with GOP goal of passing by July 4. Some key climate and energy provisions:
- Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund – funding appropriated through the IRS is repealed and unobligated funds are rescinded (page 280 of H.R.1.)
- Diesel emissions reductions of the IRA are repealed
- IRA funding to address air pollution is repealed (including air quality programs in low income and disadvantaged communities; funding to address air pollution at schools; technical assistance funding for Tribal Nations, state and local governments for greenhouse gas emissions reduction efforts; methane monitoring; clean air grants; greenhouse gas and zero-emission standards for mobile sources; investments in biofuels; EPA funding to phase down hydrofluorocarbons; EPA funding for compliance with air pollution standards and repeal of greenhouse gas corporate reporting requirements)
- Repeal of EPA capacity funding to ensure timely reviews
- Repeal of the EPA Multi-Pollutant Emissions Standards
- Rescission of funds for investing in coastal communities and climate resilience
- Recission of IRA funds for NOAA and National Marine Sanctuaries, Bureau of Land Management, and National Park Service
- Rescission of IRA funds for environmental and climate data collection
- 25% increase in timber harvests on lands managed by Forest Service lands and Bureau of Land Management (over 2024 figures)
- Reissuance of cancelled oil and gas leases in Alaska
- Open up for leasing at least 4,000,000 additional acres of recoverable coal resources on federal lands and cutting coal industry royalties paid to the US government from 12.5% to 7%.
- Establishes an opt in fee program for NEPA, allowing “project sponsors to pay for expedited environmental reviews while also limiting legal challenges by barring administrative and judicial review” (source: Vinson & Elkins)
- Energy provisions (start on page 249 of the bill)
- Rescinding of any unobligated funds allocated through the Inflation Reduction Act for planning, modeling, and analysis regarding interregional electricity transmission and transmission of electricity that is generated by offshore wind (source: H.R. 1):
- Ending clean energy tax credits
- “Sunset tax credits for renewables, storage and nuclear earlier than current law and add new restrictions to foreign components” (source: RTO Insider)
- “Wind and solar projects would need to begin construction within 60 days of the bill’s passage — or start operations within two years — to receive the credits before they expire” (source: Scientific American) and the Bill “require(s) that renewable and storage projects be completed — rather than begin construction — by the end of the year to qualify. Nuclear plants were spared this provision” (source: RTO Insider)
- “Clean energy factories that use Chinese inputs or equipment would essentially be barred from receiving federal money.” (source: Scientific American)
- Several individual tax credits are slated for elimination, including (source: Yale Climate Connections):
- Used clean vehicle and clean vehicle tax credit
- Alternative fuel vehicle refueling property tax credit
- Energy efficient home improvement tax credit
- Residential clean energy tax credit
- Committee Democrats Introduce Bill to Elevate Tribal Leadership in Land Management
- Office of Jared Huffman, May 15, 2025
- Top Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee introduced the Tribal Self-Determination and Co-Management in Forestry Act, a landmark bill that ensures Tribal Nations are full and equal partners in the management of federal lands. The legislation would direct the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service to incorporate Tribal co-management into decision-making processes, affirming Tribal sovereignty and fulfilling the U.S. federal government’s longstanding trust and treaty obligations.
- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said on Thursday it would stop tracking the cost of the country’s most expensive disasters
- National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, May 8, 2025
- New York Times Reports U.S. Government to Stop Tracking the Costs of Extreme Weather
- The move would leave insurance companies, researchers, and government policymakers without information to help understand the patterns of major disasters like hurricanes, drought or wildfires, and their economic consequences, starting this year.
- The Trump administration just dismissed all 400 experts working on America’s official climate report
- Grist, April 29, 2025
- The Trump administration has dismissed over 400 volunteer scientists and experts working on the upcoming National Climate Assessment, a congressionally mandated report that provides a comprehensive look at how climate change affects the U.S. This move, which follows the cancellation of funding for the U.S. Global Change Research Program responsible for the report, casts deep uncertainty over the sixth iteration of the assessment, previously slated for release in late 2027 or early 2028.
- Attorney General Bonta Files Lawsuit Against Trump Administration for Halting Development of Wind Energy
- Office of the Attorney General, May 5, 2025
- California Attorney General Rob Bonta, as part of a coalition of 18 attorneys general, today filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration over its unlawful attempt to freeze the development of offshore wind energy. Attorney General Bonta and the multistate coalition allege that the President’s directive harms their states’ efforts to secure reliable, diversified, and affordable sources of energy to meet their increasing demand for electricity and help reduce emissions of harmful air pollutants, meet clean energy goals, and address climate change. The attorneys general also allege that the moratorium threatens to thwart the states’ significant investments in wind industry infrastructure, supply chains, and workforce development — investments that already total billions of dollars.
- Offshore Wind Energy: Actions Needed to Address Gaps in Interior’s Oversight of Development
- US Government Accountability Office, April 10, 2025
- The Department of the Interior and other federal agencies oversee offshore wind energy development. They are supposed to work with Tribes, fisheries, and other groups that could be affected. But their engagement with these groups isn’t consistent. When the agencies get feedback from affected groups, they have inconsistently considered their concerns. GAO recommendations address these issues.
- Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals And Resources
- Executive Orders, April 24, 2025
- This executive order focuses on seabed exploration to reduce dependency on foreign mineral supplies. It activates multiple federal agencies to expedite the exploration, extraction, and processing of critical minerals from ocean floors. Additionally, the order directs federal agencies to expedite the permitting and licensing process for deep-sea mining operations and to collaborate with other nations on mining efforts.
- BOEM Seeks Public Comment for Eleventh National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program
- BOEM, April 29, 2025
- The public comment period will run from April 30, 2025, through 11:59 pm ET on June 16, 2025.
- On April 18, 2025, the Department of the Interior announced that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) would soon initiate the first step in a robust engagement process to develop the 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program (National OCS Program).
- Department of Interior loosening/speeding energy permitting on public lands
- See this release from DOI, aiming to truncate environmental assessments to 14 days and environmental impact statement processes to 28 days, applied to energy sources that include oil, gas, coal, biofuels, geothermal, dams/hydropower, and more. Aims to address the President’s National Energy Emergency
- Per Jess Maher, ED, Western Energy Project: the consequences of this proposal aren’t limited to public lands, as oil companies could win approval to drill on private lands (where the oil and gas resources are federally-owned), private (like public) lands are under attack, as the administration has also announced that it intends to use eminent domain to take private lands for oil and gas projects.
- Environmental Protection Agency environmental & climate justice, and infrastructure program cancellation notices have gone out to grantees under contract
- This Environmental Protection Network fact sheet provides a chart noting the % proposed cuts by the EPA in the current budget being marked up.
Resources, Information and Academic Articles:
- Drone image of Heavy Lift Marine Terminal site by Humboldt Waterkeeper.
- Winds of Change: Transforming California’s Ports to Improve Public Health and Support Equitable Offshore Wind
- NRDC, May 14, 2025
- This report outlines opportunities for responsible agencies (ports, energy agencies, etc.) and port developers to transform California’s ports in an equitable and responsible manner to support offshore wind development and improve life expectancy in frontline communities.
- THE Impact Project released an Impact Map tracking real-time policy, funding, and workforce changes and their localized effect. This interactive tool documents ongoing and reversed federal decisions (such as rehired workers or reopened offices). Each clickable dot reveals direct community impacts with supporting documentation.
- Inflation Reduction Act Tracker
- Columbia Law School
- This tracker records steps taken by federal agencies to implement, or rollback implementation of, the climate change-related provisions of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The tracker is linked to the IRA database, which provides more information about the IRA, and its climate-related provisions.
- This tool enables communities and advocates to quickly identify which programs are advancing, which face challenges, and how broader federal actions are affecting climate investments in real-time.
- US Government Accountability Office Report on Offshore Wind Energy
- Actions Needed to Address Gaps in Interior’s Oversight of Development
- Published April 2025
- Offshore wind development in the US, overseen by BOEM and BSEE, carries potential positive and negative impacts across various sectors, though the full extent is still uncertain. A GAO report highlights concerns about BOEM’s insufficient consultation with Tribes and the fishing industry, as well as inadequate oversight of community engagement and a lack of physical presence in the North Atlantic region. The President has temporarily paused new offshore wind projects for review.
- Actions Needed to Address Gaps in Interior’s Oversight of Development
- Energy 101: Setting a Baseline for Legislative Action Webinar
- Recorded April 9, 2025
- Providing context on California’s current electricity and fuel systems and on the goals the state has set to transition toward a new energy future. The forum explored the complexities of California’s clean energy goals alongside practical realities affecting implementation and revealed how California’s energy transition affects the entire economy, from electricity rates to job opportunities to tax receipts in regions historically dependent on fossil fuels.
- Read CA FWD blog post for key insights from this discussion, and watch the event recording to deepen your understanding of California’s energy landscape and the path toward a more sustainable, resilient economy.
- Energy Policy in 2025 Webinar
- CQ and Roll Call, April 2, 2025
- From increased drilling to climate policy rollbacks to implications of the Inflation Reduction Act to AI’s energy demands, the U.S. energy landscape is shifting rapidly. Executive orders and regulatory changes are affecting energy production, transportation, climate initiatives, and more, leaving organizations to adapt swiftly.
- This 30-minute webinar recording has energy policy experts break down the most critical developments, anticipate what’s next from the current administration, and discuss actionable strategies for staying ahead of change.
In the news:
- Stop work order lifted, Empire Wind project resumes construction
- Equinor, May 19, 2025
- Empire Offshore Wind LLC (Empire), a subsidiary of Equinor ASA, has been informed by the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) that the stop work order has been lifted for the Empire Wind project, allowing construction activities to resume.
- EPIC Comes Out in Favor of ‘Responsible’ Offshore Wind Development, Joins States in Legal Effort to Overturn Trump’s Offshore Wind Ban
- Lost Coast Outpost, May 16, 2025
- “We believe that Trump’s order is hostile to the truth—that wind energy, when responsibly developed, can be a significant public good—and inappropriately weaponizes environmental laws in order to further the interests of fossil fuel companies,” writes EPIC’s Tom Wheeler.
- Offshore wind is good for Humboldt and all of California
- Eureka Times Standard, Op Ed by Matt Simmons, April 10, 2025
- Local Stakeholders Explore Next Steps for Offshore Wind Despite ‘Significant Uncertainties’ Posed by Trump Administration
- Lost Coast Outpost, May 9, 2025
- Despite federal pushback and industry uncertainty, Humboldt County officials and international developers are progressing with plans for floating offshore wind facilities on the North Coast. A recent conference in Loleta focused on navigating potential hurdles and key aspects including workforce development, electrical transmission system upgrades, and the state’s procurement strategy.
- 100+ Days: Environmental Policy Trackers 🕵🏽♀️ & a Call to Action 🙋🏽♀️
- Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, May 4, 2025
- Ayana Elizabeth Johnson highlights the environmental policy rollbacks of the current administration’s first 100+ days, providing resources to track these changes. She shares tools for tracking environmental policy changes and data archiving efforts, and provides links to articles summarizing the administration’s environmental actions, concluding with a motivational mixtape.
- How the feds abandoned reservations to burn
- High Country News, May 1, 2025
- Tribal wildfire programs, funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) under federal treaty obligations, are critically under-resourced despite facing more fires per acre than the U.S. Forest Service.
- Tribal clash stalls CEQA consultation reform bill
- Capitol Weekly, April 27, 2025
- California bill, AB 52, aimed at increasing tribal control over development on sacred lands, has been paused by its author due to a dispute between federally and non-federally recognized tribes. The bill intended to clarify that tribal governments are the primary authorities on their cultural heritage within the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process, prioritizing tribal expertise over outside consultants. However, non-federally recognized tribes argue that the bill’s language favors federally recognized tribes. The author emphasizes that the bill’s purpose is to protect tribal cultural resources, not to determine tribal status.
- Referencing back to March RWE layoffs in Humboldt: Mass Layoffs at Companies Working on Humboldt Offshore Wind Projects; At Least Some Local People Laid Off | Lost Coast Outpost | Humboldt County News
- Update: RWE has stopped offshore wind activities in United States April 25, 2025 – RWE has stopped its U.S. offshore wind activities for now in light of regulatory uncertainty under the administration of President Donald Trump, its CEO said.
- SLO County beach town could get $3 million to plan for offshore wind port
- San Luis Obispo Tribune, April 25, 2025
- The Port San Luis Harbor District is poised to receive a $3 million grant from the California Energy Commission to support the planning and design of an offshore wind operations and maintenance port in Avila Beach. If built, the port would serve as a hub for monitoring the offshore wind farm in the Morro Bay Wind Energy Area and offer a place for maintenance vessels to dock.
- Offshore Wind Projects Face Uncertainty Amid Recent Policy Changes
- Barron’s, April 23, 2025
- Recent policy changes have halted a major wind project under construction, putting the industry in a state of emergency. Billions of dollars worth of investment in several projects along the East Coast are at risk. The halt in wind project approvals could impact related industries such as shipbuilding, making offshore wind a risky investment in the short and medium term.
- US restarts solar, storage permitting but agency gaps hit projects
- Reuters, April 22, 2025
- The Department of the Interior (DOI) resumed review of solar, storage, and geothermal applications after a 60-day suspension. Wind energy project approvals remain on hold pending further review of permitting practices. Despite the resumption of some renewable energy projects, the administration continues to support fossil fuels, posing risks for renewable energy developers.
- Google strikes first offshore wind deal in Asia-Pacific
- Recharge News, April 22, 2025
- Google revealed its first offshore wind corporate power purchase agreement in Asia -Pacific with a deal to take power from Taiwan’s Fengmiao 1 project. The web giant said the deal with the Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) project will add to offtake agreements for solar and geothermal on the island to provide power for its Taiwanese data centre and other operations.
- Let Markets Give Offshore Wind a Chance
- The National Interest, April 17, 2025
- Offshore wind offers a reliable, market-driven energy solution—if policymakers allow it to compete on cost rather than politicizing its potential.
- $10 million in State Funding Will Build Regional Fire Training Center in Northeastern Humboldt County
- Redheaded Blackbelt, April 11, 2025
- The North Bay Legislative Delegation secured $185 million in state funding for wildfire mitigation projects statewide including $33.5 million for the North Coast. They also partnered with the Karuk Tribe to obtain $10 million for a regional Fire Training Center in northeastern Humboldt County.
- Local officials reaffirm support for offshore wind in Humboldt
- Public News Service, April 3, 2025
- Local elected officials toured the deepwater port in Eureka. They are enthusiastic about the potential for economic benefits, job creation, and advancing clean energy goals and emphasize the need for the project to proceed responsibly.
With appreciation,
The CORE Hub team