Nor’easter: New moves to reconcile off shore wind and fi shing

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New moves to reconcile off shore wind and fi shing

KIRK MOORE, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

The expanding drive to establish wind energy areas off the Paci c and Gulf of Mexico coasts is attracting tentative new efforts to head off con icts with the commercial shing industry and compensate for wind development impacts.

The Bureau of Offshore Energy Management published a nal-sale notice Oct. 18 offering five California OCS lease areas that total approximatel y 373,268 acres.

This will be the rst-ever offshore wind lease sale on the U.S. West Coast and the rst-ever U.S. sale to support potential commercial-scale oating offshore wind energy development, BOEM said

The notice drew a measured response from the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, a coalition of shing groups that appears aiming to nudge BOEM rather than confront the agency.

“At present, there are no large-scale such facilities anywhere in the world,” according to a RODA statement “A thoughtful and measured approach to design, construction and operation should be ensured given the lack of veri able scienti c data on potential impacts to the environment and ecological function of the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem.”

The shermen gave credit to BOEM for acknowledging that the lease areas have historically been used for shing, for increasing bidding credit incentives for wind developers to provide community bene ts, and for requiring them to develop communication plans and strategies to reduce shing con icts.

However, BOEM should still require speci c nancial commitments from wind companies to qualify for community bene t credits, said RODA. Those should incorporate “sliding-scale bid credits so that more robust mitiga-

tion agreements are afforded greater weighting,” the group said.

“Fishing community members are hopeful that winning bidders will make nancial commitments to impacted communities commensurate with their full, cumulative impacts and induced risk,” said Mike Conroy, RODA’s lead for West Coast activities.

Two lease areas are in the Humboldt region off northern California, and three are northwest of Morro Bay. A day after BOEM’s sale notice, central California coast shing associations and wind companies announced formation of a new effort to foster coordination and cooperation between the industries.

The Morro Bay Commercial Fishermen’s Organization and the Port San Luis Commercial Fisherman’s Association are working with Castle Wind LLC, a joint venture between Trident Winds Inc. and TotalEnergies Renewables USA, to establish the

Morro Bay Lease Areas Mutual

Bene ts Corp. (MBC).

“The purpose of the Morro Bay MBC is to facilitate communication, coordination, and cooperation between the Central Coast commercial shing industry and offshore wind project developers, as well as to provide nancial resources in furtherance of California Coastal Act policies,” the shermen and developers said in a joint statement.

“Morro Bay MBC creates a pathway for the industry to demonstrate to the shermen, to BOEM, and to the California Coastal Commission, the commitment of project developers to responsible offshore wind development that protects and supports a sustainable commercial shing industry.”

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