The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has scheduled two meetings to gather feedback on the possible environmental effects associated with future offshore wind lease development off the California coast.
Both meetings are to take place virtually. The first meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. PT on Feb. 6 (Registration Link). The second meeting is set for 5 p.m. PT on Feb. 8 (Registration Link).
BOEM, which is managing federal oversight authority on two leases in Northern California off Humboldt County and three in Central California near Morro Bay, is preparing a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, a document that looks at potential issues that could be brought on by offshore wind development activities in these coastal areas.
The upcoming meetings are opportunities for the public to comment on the scope of the draft document.
Those in the fishing and maritime industry have been expressing concerns about how offshore wind development could affect fishing stocks and vessel traffic ever since the Biden Administration announced in 2021 that the West Coast would be open to offshore wind development for the first time as part of larger efforts to create 30 gigawatts of domestic offshore wind by 2030.
Visit the California Offshore Wind PEIS page for more information.
