City officials in Fortuna and Rio Dell are raising concerns about PG&E’s inability to provide new electric hookups in the Eel River Valley, leaving major economic development plans in the lurch and putting future projects, including new housing, at risk. Fortuna City Manager Meritt Perry said he is bringing the issue before the City Council […]
Electricity
Posted inNews
UPDATED: More than 7K in Humboldt Could be Without Power for Days in Looming Shutoff
UPDATE: PG&E has upped its estimate for how many in Humboldt could lose power in today’s Public Safety Power Shutoff due to high winds and low humidity levels creating a fire risk to 7,143 customers. For those being affected, power is expected to start going out between noon and 4 p.m. To look up a […]
Posted inNews
County Climate Action Plan Plods Forward
In the aftermath of the Board of Supervisors voting down the Terra-Gen wind project amid dire global climate forecasts, many have been asking what Humboldt County can do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow climate change. Well, local governments are working on it and residents have lots of ideas. The state is requiring every […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Terra-Gen Electrified the Conversation. What Now?
Terra-Gen’s Humboldt Wind Project was flawed but it would have offered this: a large and sudden pulse of low-carbon energy, enough to fill approximately 56 percent of Humboldt’s total electricity needs. With its demise, our odds at reaching our global climate goals become more distant while our challenge to achieve 100 percent clean, renewable energy […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Willie’s Wagon and Carbon Footprints
OK, Humboldt, please take a breath. We are pleased to announce that rumors of Willie Nelson’s sobriety have been greatly exaggerated. The weed world (at least the portion of it that has reached a certain age) lost its collective mind earlier this month when everyone’s favorite stoner — you know, the guy who once sparked […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
The Donbass Saga
A recent essay on the Clarke Historical Museum’s website about how Eureka came to be electrified attracted a single, terse comment: “Nothing beats the story of the Donbass.” Although the essay didn’t mention the Donbass, old-timers will surely know what’s being referred to. It’s quite a tale. Prior to Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Roosevelt wanted […]
Posted inNews
Overflow Crowd Again Turns Out for Public Hearing on Controversial Wind Farm Proposal
The debate over the proposed Terra-Gen wind energy project seemed no closer to resolution after a second heated five-and-a-half-hour public hearing at the County Planning Commission on Thursday. Once again, the Supervisors Chamber was packed with people standing in the aisles. About 40 people who could not fit into the crowded room stood outside in […]
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Green Versus Green
Two public forums held earlier this month on the proposed Terra-Gen Wind Generation Project covered the same topics but the moods were radically different. The first meeting, a Nov. 6 panel discussion sponsored by the Schatz Energy Research Center at Humboldt State University, was calm and rational in tone, attracting nearly a thousand people to […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
In the Dark and On Our Own
Well, that new normal sure hit quick, huh? The Public Safety Power Shutoffs, which first swept over Humboldt County with minimal notice when it was thrust into 28 hours of darkness Oct. 8 and Oct. 9, came back with a vengeance less than three weeks later. In an effort to keep its woefully neglected infrastructure […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
A Year’s Work on Life Support
In the midst of harvest season, the Humboldt County Growers Alliance has announced that the county now has the most licensed cannabis businesses of any California county. In fact, an analysis by the alliance found that Humboldt County holds nearly 30 percent of the state’s cultivation licenses and is home to a third of the […]
Posted inNews
County: No Power Shutoff Tonight
The Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services is reporting PG&E has advised that the county is no longer in the scope of the Public Safety Power Shutoff planned to commence at 7 p.m. due to diminishing elevated fire conditions. The release states that Humboldt County will remain with power throughout the evening, and that PG&E […]
Posted inNews
2nd UPDATE: With Information Conflicting, Uncertainty Mounts on Looming Blackouts
2nd UPDATE: PG&E spokesperson Deanna Contreras responded to a Journal inquiry this morning to clarify that Humboldt (southern), which was slated to lose power at 7 a.m. this morning, includes Garberville, Benbow, Redway and surrounding areas while Humboldt (northern), currently slated to lose power around 9 p.m., includes Willow Creek, Hoopa, Arcata and Eureka. Contreras […]