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

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

Wigi/Humboldt Bay is home to a thriving aquaculture industry. Oysters and seaweed are farmed in the bay, and Nordic Aquafarms plans to...

One of the potential environmental impacts of the Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Multipurpose Heavy Lift Terminal is increased air pollution. Traditional port operations, that rely on fossil fuels, emit both CO2 as well as criteria pollutants such as NOx, SOx, and Particulate Matter which can impact nearby communities (1). Humboldt currently has some of the cleanest air in the State (2).  ​ In May 2023, local environmental activists started a campaign (3) to ask for the Humbol

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

There have been a few instances where wind turbine blades have undergone failure which resulting in a breakage.

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

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

Quillback rockfish ( Sebastes maliger ). Source: CDFW  (6) The main concerns  (1) regarding impacts to...

Work is underway  (1) studying the effects of offshore wind-related electromagnetic fields (EMFs) on marine mammals and other wildlife....

Offshore wind turbines positioned more than 30 miles from the shore cannot efficiently transmit the generated power to the onshore grid...

Bottom trawling, one commercial fishery on the North Coast. ...

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

Marbled murrelet ( Brachyramphus marmoratus ). Source: OSU via Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 2.0)  (2) Relative to onshore and near-shore habitats,...