Forty-four feet isn’t all that high. It’s halfway up the tall side of the county courthouse. If you stacked Guy Fieri seven-and-a-half times on top of himself, his platinum blond hair would reach 44 feet high. Forty-four feet is also the height above today’s sea level where 37 tons of radioactive waste from the former […]
J.A. Savage
J.A. Savage is an environmental and economics journalist specializing in energy.
Posted inNews
Geopolitics Undermine Energy Authority’s Solar Project
When local politics nixed Terra-Gen’s wind farm energy project near Rio Dell in 2019, regional electricity aggregator Redwood Coast Energy Authority (RCEA) turned to a solar project hundreds of miles away to meet its renewable energy goals. Now, world politics have botched up that second choice, according to Jaclyn Harr, client specialist manager with an […]
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Weighing the Fish Scales of Economic Development
The proverb goes something like: “If you give a woman a fish, she can eat for a day. If you teach a woman to fish, she can eat for a lifetime.” But with fewer fish and many more mouths to feed in today’s world, we are left to consider a newer version: “Give Humboldt an […]
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Aquafarm Ecology: Energy and Water in, Water and GHG Out, Fish on the Go
The underlying environmental implication of “paper or plastic?” is enormous enough. Building and operating a large-scale, land-based fish farm has a complexity of ecology that has so far taken Nordic Aquafarms 1,800 pages to begin to address. Citizens scrutinizing Nordic’s Draft Environmental Impact Report on the implications of the fish factory produced their own volumes […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
No Peeking Behind the Nuke’s Fence
After a modest burst of self-congratulation upon finishing the physical decommissioning of its Humboldt Bay nuclear plant in November of 2021, PG&E has gone deeply silent in answering the Journal’s follow up inquiries into the long-term safety of the highly toxic radioactive waste now ensconced 44 feet above Humboldt Bay at Buhne Point. The lack […]
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Aquafarm’s Full Draft Environmental Study Released for Review
In an unusual turn for a developer, Nordic Aquafarm subjected itself to a full environmental impact report in its bid to build a big fish farm on the Samoa Peninsula. The draft report, released today, supplanted a draft review in which the county determined the aquaculture plant wouldn’t negatively impact Humboldt’s environment. The company’s new […]
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The Atomic Priesthood,Giant Rutabagas andWhat’s Next for Humboldt’s Decommissioned Nuke Plant
Humboldt’s nuclear power plant is strictly prohibited by federal authorities (Nov. 4), celebration of the final decommissioning of the reactor site at King Salmon Nov. 18 was cut short. After environmentalists put down their sparkling beverages, they suddenly realized that with decommissioning done and the feds basically out of the picture, there’s no reliable entity […]
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PG&E Reactor Officially Decommissioned, Nuclear Waste Not
PG&E’s Humboldt Nuclear Power Plant reactor site was deemed fully cleaned up by the Nucle ar Regulatory Commission today. While the federal government no longer has oversight over that part of the site — “none at all,” said commission spokesperson David McIntyre — the spent fuel and other radioactive waste, however, remains under federal jurisdiction. […]
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Dancing on the Hum Nuke’s Grave is Strictly Prohibited
I’m a busy little atom! I split myself in two! I multiply as many times As I have jobs to do! In summer, winter, spring or fall I’m ready every hour: Just push as switch And watch me zip With light or heat or power. Reddy Kilowatt, a nuclear industry mascot, who first appeared in […]
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CalTrans Considers Alternatives to ‘Armoring’ 101 Against Sea Level Rise
As it faces flooding from sea level rise along the U.S. Highway 101 Arcata-Eureka, CalTrans is seriously considering a “living shoreline” instead of throwing riprap up against the tides. In a workshop yesterday, it also seemed clear the agency is going to keep the current road alignment at the edge of Humboldt Bay. Clancy DeSmet, […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Reward Water’s Worth
When you think of shipping Humboldt’s Finest in Ziplocs to Southern California, you’re not thinking of bags of river water. But, putting Humboldt’s water in giant baggies on a boat to Southern California was a plan actually taken seriously in 2003 to encourage more water use. Humboldt historically has an outsized allocation of water from the state because the former […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Milken’s Unpardonable Redwood Felonies
Some crimes cannot be forgiven. There’s Harvey Weinstein’s sexual assaults, the Sackler family’s (alleged) opioid proliferation and, for Humboldt County, Michael Milken’s junk bonds. So when President Trump pardoned “Junk Bond King” Milken for his criminal offenses last week, the message to Humboldt was clear: No matter how many ancient forests you plunder, it’s an […]