On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump issued a Presidential Memorandum entitled “Temporary Withdrawal of All Areas on the Outer Continental Shelf from Offshore Wind Leasing and Review of the Federal Government’s Leasing and Permitting Practices for Wind Projects”  (1). The memorandum used the President’s authority under section 12(a) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (2) – the same authority that President Biden used to prevent future  leasing of oil and gas leas

Would the proposed Humboldt offshore wind project replace fossil fuel energy sources in Humboldt County?

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is the lead agency for environmental review of offshore wind. BOEM has developed an...

The North Coast’s offshore wind resources are world-class, both in their strength and consistency, such that offshore wind turbines...

The Humboldt Wind Energy Area (WEA). Source:  BOEM  (5) The Humboldt Wind Energy Area  (WEA) (1) is located 20–29 miles off the coast of...

Humboldt Wind Energy Area ​Bathymetry Map Source: Sylvia van Royen, Humboldt Water Keeper  (4) The...

Lifecycle emissions analysis  (1) of wind turbines typically measures the climate impacts in terms of grams of carbon emitted per kilowatt hour of electricity generated. This allows comparison between the carbon emitted to manufacture a wind turbine with that emitted during fossil fuel-powered electricity generation. Of course, lifecycle emissions analysis produces an estimate, and so different studies have concluded different total amounts of carbon released by offshore wind

According to a 2023 report  (1) from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, depending on make and model, wind turbines are predominantly made of steel (66-79% of total turbine mass); fiberglass, resin or plastic (11-16%); iron or cast iron (5-17%); copper (1%); and aluminum (0-2%). Offshore wind turbines would need additional materials for their platforms, anchors, and other components related to their operation in an offshore environment. ​ The expected life expectancy of

Our coastal marine ecosystems are dependent upon a phenomenon known as coastal upwelling  (1), which occurs when strong, consistent...

Overview map of features in the Mendocino Ridge area. Source: NOAA  (20) Future studies are planned to determine more precisely how the...

Humpback whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) tail flip. Source: Jim Harper via Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 1.0)  (x) Although there is currently a lot of misinformation  (1) circulating about the impacts of offshore wind to marine mammals, there has yet to be a documented case  (2) of a marine mammal being harmed by activities associated with an offshore wind project in the United States. Early reports of potential fatalities

Offshore wind turbines would need to be constructed somewhere on the West Coast before being installed offshore. Wigi  (1), aka Humboldt...

All forms of energy production have associated environmental impacts, and offshore wind energy is no different. For all environmental...

Burning fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, consequently warming the planet and causing climate change. To fight the devastating effects of climate change , we need to transition our electricity sources away from fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, toward renewables, such as solar and wind. Beyond the climate impacts, burning fossil fuels also causes significant air pollution, which poses risks  (1) to human health. Instead o