Tag Archives: California Coastal Commission
Central Coast fishermen sue California Coastal Commission over wind energy
Fishermen from Morro Bay and Port San Luis recently filed a legal challenge against the California Coastal Commission for not requiring wind energy companies to abide by Bureau of Ocean Energy Management rules before providing permits for sonar testing, the second lawsuit the groups have filed against the commission. In 2022, the federal government auctioned off three offshore wind energy sites located between 20 and 30 miles off the coast near Morro Bay. Then in Dec. 2023, the state issued a permit allowing survey work to begin. The fisherman organisation’s latest lawsuit, filed on Sept. 6, argues that the Coastal Commission required the wind energy companies, including Equinor, to “have an independent liaison that is responsible for the coordination and communication of site activities with affected commercial and recreational fishing communities and harbor districts.” The fishing liaison is required to work with fishing communities and the harbor districts to coordinate survey and other activities. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 18:18
Wind Energy off Morro Bay Faces Fisher Lawsuit and Marine Sanctuary Issues
Three new wind farms in the waters north of Santa Barbara County have run into a few obstacles in their attempts to bring offshore wind to the Central Coast. On top of discussions with government agencies and the Northern Chumash tribe, the three developers face a lawsuit from two San Luis Obispo fisheries claiming that “best practices” are not being used in the process of approving and building off the coast of Morro Bay. The lawsuit was filed by the Morro Bay Commercial Fishermen’s Organization (MBCFO) and the Port San Luis Commercial Fishermen’s Association, who claim that the equipment used to survey underwater land for offshore wind development could be harmful, and possibly deadly, to sea animals in the area. They added that this would infringe on the fishermen’s right to fish and be detrimental to the commercial fishing industry in all of California. Photos, charts, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:50
SLO County fishermen sue Coastal Commission, offshore wind companies. ‘We’ve got rights here’
The Morro Bay Commercial Fishermen’s Organization and the Port San Luis Commercial Fishermen’s Organization are suing the California Coastal Commission, State Lands Commission, three offshore wind development companies and environmental consulting company CSA Ocean Sciences Inc to stop the approval of permits for site surveys, according to a complaint filed in San Luis Obispo Superior Court on Feb. 29.The lawsuit asks the court to block state agencies from issuing site survey permits until a statewide plan is developed to protect fisheries from offshore wind development. links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:31
‘We cannot fish in a wind farm’: Local fishermen file lawsuit over offshore wind project
Many people in Morro Bay have mixed feelings about a planned offshore wind project. Now, a lawsuit has been filed. The Morro Bay Commercial Fishermen’s Organization and the Port San Luis Commercial Fisherman’s Association claim some rules and regulations related to the project have not been followed. The Morro Bay Commercial Fishermen’s Organization was incorporated in 1972 and has around 100 members. “We’ve been here for a while and we’ve got an incredibly good reputation in all of those years, and we are very proud of it,” said Jeremiah O’Brien, Morro Bay Commercial Fishermen’s Organization Vice President. more, >>click to read<< 06:52
New California law aims to speed up offshore wind development
A law signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom on Saturday aims to speed up the process for new offshore wind development. The law requires California’s Coastal Commission to process consolidated permits for coastal development, which the law’s main sponsor says will streamline permitting. His district includes Mendocino, Trinity and Humboldt counties. McGuire said in a press release that this law will slash five years off the normal permitting timeline for offshore wind projects. He said it will help the state meet its goals in terms of climate change and renewable energy. >>click to read<< 09:31
California takes step toward first offshore wind farm
The California Coastal Commission voted unanimously to pave the way for the West Coast’s first offshore wind farm that if ultimately approved and built would occupy roughly 206 square miles of ocean about 20 miles west of the town of Eureka, Calif. “This is truly historic,” said commission chair Donne Brownsey just before the unanimous vote was taken. Not everyone agrees. Specifically, commercial fishermen said the waters off of Eureka are some of the most valuable on the entire West Coast and cordoning more than 200 square miles will have a dramatic impact on their business. >click to read< 11:44
California Coastal Commission OKs world’s longest fiber optic cable from Eureka to Singapore
Stretching from Eureka to Singapore, the 10,000 mile long cable will bring enhanced broadband connectivity to Humboldt County and beyond as soon as 2023. RTI plans to install four steel pipes extending from a landing site in Samoa approximately 3,600 feet offshore to serve as conduits for two submarine fiber optic cables. Additional cables may extend to Australia and Japan as well. North Coast commercial fisherman Kevin Collins expressed concern for the trawling fishermen who, he feels, will be “the primary group impacted by the cable.” Humboldt Fishermen’s Marketing Association was not looking to oppose or delay the installation of this cable but wished to express “grave concerns California fishermen have over the flawed process taking place for the mitigation” of the project. >click to read< 13:45
Eco-Warriors Once Used Old Tires In A Failed Attempt To Create An Artificial Reef
Divers are removing hundreds of old tires and debris environmentalists dumped off the coast of Southern California 30 years ago to help create an artificial barrier reef. Diving crews began cleaning up the mess earlier this month, according to the California Coastal Commission. Activist Rodolphe Streichenberger dumped the refuse in the bay in 1988 to establish an experimental, artificial reef – he fought for years to prevent its cleanup. click here to read the story ‘It just looks like a pile of trash’: Boat crew hauls tire reef out of the sea off Newport click here to read the story 09:37
Coast Seafoods Company gone by August?
After farming shellfish in Humboldt Bay since the 1950s, the largest shellfish producer in the state Coast Seafoods Company could be gone by next month following a consequential California Coastal Commission decision in June, according to Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District Executive Director Jack Crider. “Conceivably, if something doesn’t change, Coast could be out of business by the middle of August,” Crider said. “It is a really serious situation. More than anything, it’s just this signal to the aquaculture industry that California is just not the place to be, which is sad. Really sad.”,,, Attempts to contact Coast Seafood Company’s Southwest Operations Manager Greg Dale since June have not been returned. Attempts to contact Coast Seafood Company’s Oregon-based parent company Pacific Seafood Group were not returned by Saturday afternoon. click here to read the story 13:17
After a long battle, Drake’s Bay Oyster Co. packs it in
On Dec. 31, after a long battle with the National Park Service, the California Coastal Commission, the Department of the Interior and wilderness advocates, owner Kevin Lunny and his family will vacate the starkly beautiful Drake’s Estero, a 2,500-acre estuary where some of the tastiest oysters on the West Coast have been farmed for more than half a century. Read the rest here
US Navy has rejected recommendations by the California Coastal Commission for its use of sonar and underwater explosives
In a letter July 31, the Navy said it disagreed with the commission’s determination that naval training plans did not include enough information to conclude the overall marine mammal count isn’t affected by sonar technology or by detonations at sea. The Navy is applying for a five-year renewal of its federal marine permit to conduct training over a huge swath of ocean between Hawaii and Southern California. more@utsandiego 08:24
