Humboldt Bay is leaving the past behind and moving into the future.
Last week, the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District’s Board of Commissioners made decisions that signaled it would not support the transportation of coal through the harbor, but was prepared to welcome renewable energy.
Jennifer Kalt, director of nonprofit Humboldt Baykeeper, said it was ironic the two items were on the same agenda but signaled the district is transitioning “from the 19th century to the 21st century.”
“All I can say is full steam ahead,” Kalt said.
The harbor district commissioners made the decision at its March 10 meeting to accept a $10.5 million grant to begin the preparatory work needed to transform the Samoa peninsula into a hub for offshore wind development. The commissioners also approved an ordinance to prohibit coal on any harbor-owned or -leased property.
“Coal is dead, baby,” 5th Division Commissioner Patrick Higgins said. “Leave it in the ground.”
The decision to prohibit coal on property owned or leased by the harbor district comes on the heels of decisions by other local jurisdictions to do the same because of a potential project that would attempt to transport coal by train through the area.
Higgins said he believes coal is a red herring since the area’s geology, which is landslide-prone, makes maintaining a railroad line in the area logistically and financially infeasible.
“Unfortunately, railroad transportation is not in our future,” he said. “Glorious past.”
It’s an exciting time, however, for offshore wind development, the commissioners said.
The state and federal government have been supporting the development of Humboldt Bay into a wind port and made millions of dollars available. The $10.5 million grant from the California Energy Commission will not only be able to fund the permitting and design, but also bring in more money for grants requiring matching funds, said Rob Holmlund, the harbor district’s director of development.
“Primarily the objective is to use these funds to match federal grants,” Holmlund said. “Most federal grants require a 20% match, so if we bring $10 million to the table, then we’re talking in the range of a $50 to $60 million federal grant.”
At the same time, Holmlund said the district is trying to get the project “shovel-ready,” meaning much of the permitting and engineering work is done. Projects that are ready to be constructed tend to get prioritized for funding.
The commissioners awarded the contract to design and permit the development of the offshore wind terminal to infrastructure consulting firm Moffatt and Nichol. The firm is currently consulting with multiple offshore wind development companies and international firms specializing in marine terminal operations, Holmlund said.
The district currently has $1,358,723 allocated for permitting and design that would go to Moffat and Nichol, though the final contract is expected to be worth about $3.5 million as funding becomes available. About $782,532 of the $1.3 million is from the $10.5 million energy commission grant while the other $576,191 is from a grant from the State Lands Commission.
The firm expects all permits to be secured by May 2024 and expects the wind project would be up and running by 2028, though Holmlund said they are looking for ways to accelerate the construction phase of the project.
Sonia Waraich can be reached at 707-441-0504.
