Upcoming opportunities for leadership and learning:

• Heavy Lift Marine Terminal Community Meeting | Weds June 24 | 5:30-7:30pm | Arcata
  • The Humboldt Bay Harbor District formed a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) for the Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal Project (HLMT).  The CAC is hosting a public meeting regarding the proposed project on Weds 6/24/26 from 5:30pm to 7:30 at the Arcata Community Center (321 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Parkway) 
  • The project’s CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) draft EIR (environmental impact report) is expected to go before the Harbor District Board  March or April 2027. 
  • We encourage all interested community members to attend this event, which will consist of technical speakers, a panel of experts, and multiple stations at which participants can talk to engineers and environmental scientists that are designing/permitting the project.
  • Please forward this flyer to anyone that may be interested. 

• Webinar: Designing sensors to detect and reduce marine entanglement in the context of California floating offshore wind
  • Schatz Energy Research Center, June 17, 12:00 pm 
  • The Schatz Energy Research Center is hosting a public webinar highlighting key findings from their recent report and offering an inside look at the MoorSea project, an ongoing CEC‑funded effort focused on advancing sensor technologies for detecting marine entanglements. Presenters will discuss the hazards posed by “ghost gear,” the challenges of primary and secondary entanglements in offshore wind mooring systems, and their team’s work to improve underwater monitoring in the Humboldt and Morro Bay Wind Energy Areas. 
• Humboldt Local Coastal Plan Update is Underway – with opportunities to weigh in on issues related to the Heavy Lift Marine Terminal at Humboldt Bay and Bay-adjacent Transmission
  • The Draft Humboldt Bay Area Plan was published on June 1. 
  • Public Workshop: Tues June 16 at 6pm (by zoom)
    • An opportunity to learn about proposed updates and make public comment
    • For more info, check out the Humboldt Bay Area Plan web page
  • Planning Commission Workshop: Thurs July 16 at 6pm (in person and virtual)
    • Stay tuned for more info at the Planning Commission web page
  • For the Heavy Lift Marine Terminal: Certain upland portions of the project site are governed by the Bay Area Plan (HBAP; see pp 50-51 of the Schatz Center’s port permitting report for more info). The draft HBAP includes several sections that inform how the Terminal is developed: offshore wind context (pp. 42-44), coastal dependent industrial policies (pp. 44-46), screening (p. 49), Port Overlay Zone (p. 45-46: structure height and lighting, environmentally sensitive habitat areas), tsunamis (pp. 65-69), offshore wind and coastal dependent industrial uses (p. 79).  There is also important content related to Tribal histories and cultures, environmental justice and disadvantaged communities, Samoa, and aquaculture.  
  • Check out this recent article from Lost Coast Outpost for further context and considerations
• Offshore Wind Career Access Scholarship Applications Open
  • UMass Amherst, Clean Energy Extension
  • The application period is now open and will close on June 12th, 2026.
  • The scholarship period for the Fall 2026 semester is now open. Our Career Access Scholarship is designed to empower students from diverse backgrounds to successfully prepare for and join the clean energy workforce and participate professionally in a variety of roles.
  • The Offshore Wind Professional Certificate consists of three graduate-level online courses culminating in a Graduate Certificate from UMass Amherst. Several Career Access Scholarships will be awarded to eligible applicants and cover the full cost of tuition for the certificate. 

Recent Events and updates: 

• The CORE Hub’s first “Trace the Electron” tour brought together a cohort of Tribal Climate Resilience Network (TCRN) participants and emerging tribal leaders on a learning journey of local and state energy systems, examining the tradeoffs between the status quo, the need to decarbonize, cultural protections, competing community interests, and energy infrastructure development in rural regions across California. The group began in Humboldt with an overview of local energy challenges and visits to the Humboldt Bay Generating Station and the Arcata Airport Microgrid, then traveled to Folsom to tour the CAISO control room and participate in a workshop with CAISO, the CEC, and the CPUC on the policy and infrastructure links shaping the state’s energy transition. The final day focused on Kern County, where participants toured oil fields and refineries and heard directly from community advocates about the health and environmental impacts of extraction.
  • 
  • The experience underscored the complexity of transitioning away from fossil fuels: every energy technology carries trade‑offs, but the costs of maintaining the status quo, both in climate impacts and in the lived realities of communities near extraction sites, are substantial. 
• Thank you to community members who participated in a May offshore wind port communities convening with THE Impact Project and Moving Forward Network. We are looking forward to working together in the future, strengthening solidarity between CA coastal communities,  and advocating on our aligned interests. 

Photo below of a coalition of CORE Hub Community Benefit Network, THE Impact Project, and Moving Forward Network meeting with Executive Director of the CA Coastal Commission, Dr. Kate Hucklebridge.

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• Pacific Offshore Wind Summit 2026
  • Long Beach, CA, May 18-20
  • Many Humboldt community members attended as participants, presenters, and panelists. Photos, press releases, news articles, and further information in link above. 
  • Pictured below; Ysabelle Yrad, sustainability specialist and Blue Lake Rancheria, speaking on a panel about coexisting with coastal communities and Ocean users and Dr. Arne Jacobson, Executive Director of Schatz Energy Research Center, speaking about accelerating transmission planning and interconnection. 
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• Reconnect Arcata Project
  • City of Arcata
  • The Reconnect Arcata Project launched in 2026 to address the safety, mobility, and equity problems created by the highway system that divides Arcata, with early planning and community engagement underway. The project targets long‑standing barriers that limit walking, biking, and transit access, isolate neighborhoods, and increase car dependence, all of which contribute to higher emissions and poorer climate resilience. By reducing vehicle miles traveled, improving transit access, and enabling more people to move safely without cars, the project aims to cut greenhouse‑gas emissions while improving access to housing, jobs, and services across Arcata.
  • If you are interested in getting involved, please reach out to Laura Kadlecik at lkadlecik@cityofarcata.org for more information!

State and Federal Updates:

• California Ocean Protection Council to Vote on Adoption of Blueprint for Building a West Coast Science Collaborative for Offshore Wind
  • Tuesday June 16, 1:00-5:00pm
  • This is Item 9 on the agenda, which will include a public comment opportunity. 
  • Click here to review the proposed Blueprint, including a description of changes made from the prior version.
• The California Energy Commission has issued an administrative investigative subpoena to Golden State Wind (formerly Central California Offshore Wind) regarding its deal with the Trump Administration to abandon their central coast offshore wind lease/project. This move comes in preparation of potential litigation by the State of California.
  • Press release: link
  • Subpoena: link
  • The wind wars are picking up
    • Politico, May 5, 2026
    • The Trump Administration Interior Department paid Golden State Wind to cancel its 2‑gigawatt offshore wind project off California and invest in fossil fuels instead.The Newsom Administration has subpoenaed the company and is preparing for possible litigation, arguing the federal government misused a fund meant for settling imminent lawsuits. The combined east and west coast buyouts are slowing California’s offshore wind planning and the release of state funding, while state leaders push to advance renewable energy goals. 
  • For those that might be interested, Brightline Defense is circulating a petition to encourage continued state leadership on addressing the buyouts, including to investigate these deals and protect community commitments. Check it out here. 
  • Huffman, Raskin Launch Investigation into Trump Administration’s Billion-Dollar Taxpayer-Funded Settlement to TotalEnergies
    • Natural Resources Committee Democrats, April 26, 2026
    • House Democrats Jared Huffman and Jamie Raskin announced an investigation into the Trump administration’s decision to grant TotalEnergies a $1 billion taxpayer‑funded settlement. The lawmakers are examining whether the settlement was improperly negotiated, whether it benefited the company at public expense, and whether Trump administration officials bypassed normal procedures or legal standards. 
• Rep. Mike Levin Fights to Stop Cancellation of Offshore Wind Energy Leases That Would Lower Costs
  • Representative Mike Levin, May 13, 2026
  • Rep. Mike Levin introduced an amendment to block the Trump administration from using Department of Justice or Interior Department funds to cancel offshore wind projects and pay foreign companies nearly $2 billion to abandon them. The amendment did not make it out of committee, but similar legislative changes may surface in the future.The Administration has recently reached deals to cancel four offshore wind leases that together could have powered more than three million homes, prompting concerns about higher energy costs, reduced grid reliability, and the legality of using the federal Judgment Fund for these payouts. Levin argued that canceling these projects during a period of rising electricity demand and increasing utility bills harms both taxpayers and ratepayers, undermines efforts to expand power supply, and bypasses congressional oversight.

Resources, Information and Academic Articles:

• Movement Generation “Just Transition” framework
  • Developed by Movement Generation with Climate Justice Alliance, Updated May 2017
  • Resource that explains the concept of a Just Transition and provides tools for communities working to shift from an extractive economy to a regenerative one. It is designed for frontline communities, organizers, Tribal Nations, workers, and anyone building community‑led climate and economic solutions. The page provides definitions, core principles, historical context, and examples of strategies. 
• Community Benefits and Impacts from Energy Development: The Case of Offshore Wind
  • Pacific Marine Energy Center and Oregon State University
  • Researchers from OSU presented Oregon specific findings last week in Brookings
  • A copy of that report and all other publications and reports affiliated with this project can be found at the link above
• Veteran’s campaign against fossil fuel dependence; Shannon Corbeil speaks directly about the national security, economic, and human costs of continued dependence on fossil fuels
  • Vet Voice Foundation, May 18, 2026
  • As tensions in the Middle East drive up gas prices oil companies are using the moment and their windfall profits to push for billions in additional concessions and pollution allowances from Californians. 
  • “We believe it’s critical that veteran voices help reframe this conversation around long-term affordability, energy security, and public interest rather than fear-driven narratives pushed by the fossil fuel industry.”
  • Example of storytelling and communications related to energy transition. 

In the news:

• A DAM GOOD TIME: What We Learned About the Eel River’s Dams 1,000 Feet In the Air
  • Lost Coast Outpost, June 2, 2026
  • A flight over the Eel River watershed offers a close look at the aging Scott and Cape Horn dams and the Potter Valley Project, showing how the diversion system shapes both the river and the surrounding communities. The trip highlights the push for dam removal to restore salmon habitat and the resistance from Potter Valley interests that rely on diverted water- an example of the trade‑offs at the heart of a just transition. Environmental groups on the flight describe their long‑term vision for reopening the river
  • Decisions about the Eel River dams intersect with California’s broader energy and water systems, including the role of hydropower and the implications of decommissioning aging infrastructure. 
• GUEST OPINION: Offshore Wind Is Worth Getting Right — Braiding Knowledge for a Renewable Future on the North Coast
  • Lonyx Landry, Lost Coast Outpost, May 24, 2026
  • A recent local poll showed many North Coast residents expect offshore wind discussions to resume after the Trump administration ends. Lonyx argues that climate change, marine heatwaves, and ocean acidification make transitioning away from fossil fuels urgent, and that offshore wind should be seriously evaluated. Any future projects must partner with Tribal Nations, protect cultural and environmental resources, and deliver real community benefits such as local jobs and local power. While many Humboldt residents remain wary, he sees that passion as a strength and believes the region is well positioned to shape a model for responsible renewable energy development.
• Renewable Energy Is Affordable Energy. So Why Is New York Breaking Its Climate Promises?
  • TIME, May 14, 2026
  • New York lawmakers are advancing a rollback of key parts of the state’s landmark climate law, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, by extending deadlines and easing requirements for cutting emissions, citing rising energy costs and concerns about grid reliability. The changes would slow the transition away from natural gas, weaken mandates for renewable energy and building electrification, and give regulators more flexibility to approve fossil‑fuel infrastructure. 
• War on wind power could jeopardize America’s energy future and cost billions
  • LA Times, May 14, 2026
  • The Trump Administration’s efforts to halt U.S. offshore wind development include paying companies more than $2 billion to cancel projects, based on concerns the Administration frames as economic, environmental, and national security issues. Critics argue these claims conflict with data showing wind power costs have fallen and that wildlife impacts are grossly misrepresented. The deals have prompted legal and regulatory scrutiny over their justification and funding sources, while analysts note that the actions create uncertainty for renewable‑energy investment at a time when global competitors are expanding clean‑energy production.
• China’s Big Bet on Wind Power Is Paying Off
  • New York Times, May 5, 2026
  • China is rapidly accelerating its wind power build‑out just as the war in Iran disrupts Persian Gulf oil and gas supplies. China installed three times more wind capacity than the rest of the world last year and completed increasingly advanced offshore projects. Wind now provides about 10% of China’s electricity and is rising steadily, supported by long‑term planning, state subsidies, industrial policy, and a vast domestic supply chain that has helped Chinese turbine makers overtake Western competitors and dominate global exports. 
• Tesla Semi hits the port: drayage operator MDB launches 3-week freight pilot
  • Elektrek, April 29, 2026
  • MDB Transportation has begun a three‑week pilot using a Tesla Semi to haul containers at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, testing the truck’s efficiency, charging performance, and driver experience on real drayage routes. The article notes that port drayage is an ideal early use‑case for electric trucks because the trips are short, repetitive, and return‑to‑base, making charging predictable and cost‑effective while delivering major air‑quality benefits for nearby communities.
• Vineyard Wind Contracts Lower Electricity Prices for Massachusetts Customers
  • Mass.gov, April 27, 2026
  • Massachusetts announced that its newly approved contracts for the Vineyard Wind offshore wind project will reduce electricity costs for customers, with the state estimating $1.4 billion in savings over the life of the contracts. The article states that the contracts were renegotiated after earlier agreements were terminated due to rising costs, and the new prices are lower than current market electricity rates. State officials say the contracts will deliver renewable energy, support the state’s climate targets, and create jobs, while ensuring ratepayer savings compared to fossil‑fuel‑based electricity.

Please reach out with your thoughts and questions.

Thank you from the CORE Hub Team!