Perhaps symbolically underscoring the notion that nuclear half-lives are always longer than they seem, the Redwood Coast Energy Authority Board of Directors will once again discuss whether the agency should accept an offer of free nuclear power at its meeting later this month. Last month, the board, acting with some members absent, failed to reach […]
energy
Posted inNews
Conflicted RCEA Board Passes on Nuclear Power
After a lengthy discussion that was at times circular, a divided Redwood Coast Energy Authority failed to reach a decision on whether to accept an offer of free nuclear power from the Diablo Canyon Power Plan in San Luis Obispo. By default, the board’s inaction means the agency will pass on the state-mandated offer for […]
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Going, Going, Gone: Feds Hold First-Ever Auction for California Offshore Wind Leases
Federal officials today will auction off leases for 583 square miles of ocean waters off California that could lead to the nation’s first massive floating wind farms. The auction — the first on the West Coast — includes five sites in deep ocean waters about 20 miles off Morro Bay and Humboldt County. The leases […]
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Can Californians Afford Electric Cars? Wait Lists for Rebates are Long and Some Programs have Shut Down
When Tulare resident Quentin Nelms heard California was offering a hefty state subsidy to help lower-income residents buy electric cars, he applied right away. But it wasn’t as easy as he thought it would be. Nelms spent four months on a waitlist before he was accepted into one of the state’s clean-car incentive programs in […]
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Interior to Open Offshore Wind Comment Period Next Week
The U.S. Department of the Interior announced today that it will publish a Proposed Sale Notice next week, opening a 60-day public comment period on plans to open lease areas off the California coast — including one off Humboldt Bay — to bidding for the creation of offshore wind farms. “The Biden-Harris administration is moving forward […]
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Audit: California Utilities Aren’t Doing Enough to Reduce Wildfire Threats
As record-breaking drought fuels another potentially dangerous wildfire season, the state auditor reported today that state officials are failing to hold California’s electric utilities accountable for preventing fires caused by their equipment. The report to the California Legislature found that the new Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety approved utility companies’ wildfire prevention plans even when […]
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McGuire Warns of ‘Toxic Coal Train’ Plan
An anonymous company out of Wyoming is looking to ship millions of tons of coal from several midwest states through Northern California counties including Humboldt, state Sen. Mike McGuire warned in a press release this morning. “This toxic coal train would run through the heart of so many thriving communities and along the Russian and […]
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Report: $124 Million Needed to Transform Port of Humboldt for Offshore Wind
It will cost more than $124 million to build a new multipurpose terminal in Humboldt Bay to support offshore wind energy, according to a preliminary cost estimate prepared for the Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District. The district’s board of commissioners is slated to meet in a special session tomorrow, first in closed session to continue […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Cryptocurrency: Bitcoin
“I think that the internet is going to be one of the major forces for reducing the role of government. The one thing that’s missing, but that will soon be developed, is reliable e-cash, a method whereby on the internet, you can transfer funds from A to B without A knowing B or B knowing […]
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Planning Commission Denies Wind Farm Project
The Humboldt County Planning Commission voted 4-2, with commissioners Mike Newman and Alan Bongio dissenting and commissioner Brian Mitchell absent, to deny a proposal to build a wind farm on Monument and Bear River ridges south of Rio Dell. An initial vote on a motion to accept the project stalled with a 3-3 vote, which […]
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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 […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Energy Literacy
Perhaps the biggest breakdown in the recent power shutoff was communication. As I write this, the California Public Utilities Commission has convened an emergency meeting with Pacific Gas & Electric Co. about the blackout. High among the commissioners’ concerns are PG&E’s communication failures to local governments, state agencies and customers during this event. As important […]