Discover Humboldt Bay

HUMBOLDT BAY TO BECOME GLOBAL LEADER IN ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE
THROUGH GRANT AWARD FROM FEDERAL GOVERNMENT 

Announcement of Federal INFRA Grant Award

January 23, 2024

The Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District is thrilled to announce the receipt of a $426,719,810 grant from the Federal INFRA grant program to support development of the “Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal Project” at the Redwood Marine Terminal site on the Samoa Peninsula.  More about the proposed project can be found here: https://humboldtbay.org/humboldt-bay-offshore-wind-heavy-lift-marine-terminal-project-3.
 
It is a remarkable honor for the Harbor District to receive Federal funding for construction of the proposed Heavy Lift Marine Terminal Project.  The project is designed to serve as a multi-purpose port facility primarily to support offshore wind throughout the west coast of the US.  This is Humboldt County’s opportunity to be a national leader in addressing climate change, sea level rise, and green site development.  The project will also conclude a decade-long process to clean up a contaminated site, while simultaneously providing high-paying construction and manufacturing jobs. 
 
To date, this project has received the following grants:
  • 2020: Humboldt County Headwaters Fund: $65,000 – Project visioning and conceptual master plan
  • 2021: State Lands Commission: $576,191 – Design/permitting
  • 2022: California Energy Commission: $10,450,000 – Design/permitting and matching funds
  • 2023: MARAD PIDP grant: $8,672,986 – Design, permitting, and bay wide master plan
  • 2024: Federal Department of Transportation: $426,719,810
 
Altogether, the District has been awarded $446,483,987 in grant funds to implement what will be the first floating offshore wind port terminal in the western hemisphere and the first offshore wind port project on the west coast of North America.
 
This latest INFRA grant (>$426M) is administered by the Federal Department of Transportation and will be used to finalize design/permitting and to fund project construction, including access roads, onsite utilities, a 40-acre upland staging site, a 1,200 linear foot wharf, and a several acre berth.  The grant also includes:
  • $51,000,000 for environmental restoration;
  • $1,100,000 for a paved multipurpose trail adjacent to the site;
  • $2,300,00 for an eco-shoreline transition from the bay to the upland site;
  • $10,000,000 for a large on-site solar array to provide renewable energy to the project operations;
  • $1,200,000 for public recreation access (fishing pier, kayak launch, or other);
  • $3,000,000 for a dredge material dewatering area; and
  • $6,000,000 for a Community Benefit Program intended to benefit local Tribes, fisherman, and nearby residents.
 
Seeking to address climate change and to revolutionize our energy systems, both the Federal and California governments have announced bold goals for offshore wind.  In 2022, the Biden Administration announced the goals of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by the year 2030 and at least 110 gigawatts of offshore wind by the year 2050.  The State of California is seeking 5 gigawatts by 2030 and 25 gigawatts by 2045.  In the past 10 months, port readiness studies have published by BOEM, the California State Lands, and the National Renewable Energy Lab.  These three studies concur that a Staging & Integration port terminal project in Humboldt Bay is critical to the ultimate success of achieving State and Federal renewable energy goals.
 
This project would not have gotten this far without help from a long list of collaborators.  “The District is grateful for all the support we have received from our State and Federal partners.  As this project moves forward, the District is committed to working with Tribes, fisherfolk, the general community, and other stakeholders to minimize the impacts and maximize the local benefits,” Greg Dale, Board President.  The District has been actively working with seven different Tribal governments to understand the perspectives, interests, needs, and concerns of the remarkably diverse Native American peoples that populate our region.  The envisioned project has evolved and continues to be improved due to this on-going teamwork with Tribal governments.  The project has also been enhanced due to the participation of many other interest groups, interested parties, and affected community members.  We will continue to strive to work with a diverse array of entities to deliver a project that will address climate change, benefit our local communities, and give us all something to be proud of.  The District would like to thank the many partners, allies, and organizations that have supported this project, provided guidance, and/or pushed the District to strive for a development that benefits our community. 

Those who need to be acknowledged and thanked include:
  • Granting agencies:
    • The California Energy Commission
    • The US Department of Transportation
    • The Federal Maritime Administration (MARAD)
    • The State Lands Commission
    • Humboldt County Headwaters Fund
  • Tribal Governments (listed in order of proximity to project site):
    • Wiyot Tribe
    • Bear River Rancheria
    • Blue Lake Rancheria
    • Trinidad Rancheria
    • Yurok Tribe
    • Hoopa Tribe
    • Elk Valley Rancheria

  • Federal/State Elected officials:
    • US Congressman Jared Huffman
    • Senator Alex Padilla
    • Senator Diane Feinstein
    • CA State Senate Mike McGuire
    • CA State Assemblymember Jim Wood

  • Governmental entities, local governments, and associations:
    • County of Humboldt
    • California Governor’s Office of Business & Economic Development (GO-Biz)
    • California Association of Port Authorities
    • The California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA)
    • Caltrans District 1
    • City of Eureka
    • City of Arcata
    • California Center for Rural Policy at Cal Poly Humboldt
    • North Coast Small Business Development Center
    • Humboldt County Association of Governments
    • Manila Community Services District
    • Peninsula Community Services District
    • Eureka Chamber of Commerce
    • Redwood Coast Energy Authority
    • Redwood Region Economic Development Commission
    • AEDC, Small Business Lending Center
    • Humboldt Community Services District
    • Association of Pacific Ports
    • American Association of Port Authorities
    • And many others

  • Union and Labor Organizations:
    • California State Building and Construction Trades Council
    • Operating Engineers Local #3
    • Boilermakers Local 549
    • OPCMIA Local 300
    • Heat & Frost Insulators & Allied Workers Union No. 16
    • IBEW Local 551
    • International Union of Elevator Constructors Local Union No. 8
    • Iron Workers Local Union 377
    • Sheet Metal Workers’ Local Union No. 104
  • Community Organizations, Advocacy Organizations, and NGOs:
    • And many others
    • 350Humboldt
    • Redwood Region Climate & Community Resilience Hub (COREHub)
    • Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC)
    • Surf Rider
    • Humboldt Water Keeper
    • The Humboldt Bay Yacht Club
    • The Peninsula Community Collaborative
    • Various fishermen associations and individual fisherfolk
  • Educational institutions:
    • Cal Poly Humboldt
    • Schatz Energy Research Center
    • College of the Redwoods

  • Offshore wind businesses and associations:
    • Crowley Wind Services
    • RWE
    • Vineyard Offshore
    • CADEMO Corp
    • Offshore Wind California
    • Pacific Ocean Energy Trust
    • Innovation Norway
    • Norwegian Offshore Wind

  • And many others

Commerce, Recreation, and Conservation

Humboldt County's tidelands, bays, and estuaries have unique and diverse management needs. The Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District was created in 1973 to address these needs. The District oversees planned development of the harbors and ports within its boundaries, as well as protection of the natural resources located here. It is a countywide agency with permit jurisdiction over all tide, submerged and other lands granted to the District, including all of Humboldt Bay. For more info please visit our District overview page.

 

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