Harbor District plans heavy lift marine terminal; Wind turbine facility raises issues re: diesel fuel use
The county’s Harbor District has begun an environmental review process on developing port facilities to assemble and haul out the gigantic turbine structures that will generate offshore wind energy.In late June, the district gave notice that it’s preparing a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) on a “heavy lift multipurpose marine terminal project” slated for a 180-acre area adjacent to the town of Samoa.In an opinion piece for the Lost Coast Outpost news website, representatives of four locally well-known environmental groups – Humboldt Baykeeper, the Environmental Protection Information Center, the Northcoast Environmental Center and the Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities – urged development of a “green port facility.”The group reps acknowledged the environmental benefits of offshore wind energy production but warned of potential impacts of building and transporting huge offshore turbines.“Unfortunately, these types of heavy-lift terminals have a mixed track record for communities,” they said. “On land, port equipment such as terminal tractors, forklifts, yard trucks, cranes and handlers commonly run on diesel.”They added that most of the “heavy-duty cargo ships and tugboats” used for infrastructure transport “also run on diesel or heavy fuel oil, polluting the air” and “even burn fuel while docked at the terminal to maintain a base load of electricity.”There’s concern that “communities surrounding these ports often suffer from the effects of air pollution.”Read More
Published: 2023-07-23
Source: Latest - Humboldt Baykeeper