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Will Trump’s win end Morro Bay offshore wind energy projects?

November 14, 2024

By KAREN VELIE

President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to end offshore wind energy projects his first day in office, a promise opponents of the proposed Morro Bay offshore wind farms hope he fulfills.

Trump ran on lowering housing and energy costs. During his campaign speeches, he described offshore wind energy as “the most expensive energy there is.” He noted environmental concerns such as whale and bird deaths.

“We are going to make sure that that ends on day one,” Trump said during a campaign speech. “I’m going to write it out in an executive order. It’s going to end on day one.”

In Dec. 2022, an auction for three offshore wind energy sites located off the coast near Morro Bay netted over $400 million to the federal government. The plan is to have the wind turbines float in the ocean more than 20 miles off the coast, with the electricity sent ashore via cables along the ocean floor. The goal is to have the windmills in the water by 2030.

While the majority of San Luis Obispo County residents initially supported the “green energy” project, sentiments changed as information regarding plans to industrialize Port San Luis near Avila Beach and portions of the Morro Bay waterfront spread through the community.

Industrialization of the proposed Central Coast ports will have significant impacts on the local economy and its ocean-dependent ecosystems. The support systems on land will include massive piers, and could require new breakwaters and dredging.

The offshore windmills themselves are 1,000 feet tall, taller than the Golden Gate Bridge, and their platforms are the size of a baseball field.

Site rendering of example of integration at Port San Luis. Breakwater may or may not be required.

The plan to transform Port San Luis into an industrial port to support proposed offshore wind farms moved forward in July with the assistance of the Port San Luis Harbor District in a 3-2 vote, though most of the discussions were held in closed session out of public view.

However, one of the pro-industrialization candidates did not run for reelection. The public then voted against pro-industrialization candidate SLO City Manager Katie Lichtig and for local fisherman Richard Scangarell, who opposes plans for industrialization.

In Morro Bay, residents largely supported a measure requiring voter approval for changes to some zoning on the waterfront. Vistra Energy, the company behind a proposed 24 acre battery storage facility on the waterfront, decided to seek state approval while bypassing the city’s consideration shortly before the November election.

Morro Bay’s proposed battery storage facility

Even so, a large amount of the funding for the offshore windmill projects and onshore support infrastructure is slated to be provided through the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes $369 billion in subsidies for renewable energy.

“The Inflation Reduction Act is anticipated to provide the opportunity to realize material benefits to Vistra with respect to its renewables and energy storage projects, as well as provide strong price support via the nuclear production tax credit for its nuclear facilities, including those acquired through the Energy Harbor transaction,” Vistra said in a first quarter 2024 press release.

With Trump in office, it is anticipated he will ask Congress to reduce or eliminate tax credits for offshore wind provided through the Inflation Reduction Act. Without the subsidies and tax credits, the future of offshore wind energy and battery storage facilities in San Luis Obispo County appear bleak.

“REACT Alliance, a local offshore wind opposition organization, is very supportive of the incoming administration’s opposition to offshore wind and hopes that the Trump Administration will get rid of it on day one as the president has pledged,” said Saro Rizzo, vice president of REACT Alliance. “It will be the best thing for the Central Coast’s environment and its ratepayers.”

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One of the reasons the majority of Americans voted for Trump!!!!


71

$369 billion in TAX PAYER subsides to ruin our coastline and destroy our oceans?


68

YES! His common sense will not afford this boondoggle. And for the Monterey 3C or whatever they provide will be dissolved as it should. Efficient energy and safer transmission lines will be the main subject for power companies. As for home systems, they still happen but no subsidies. Why should the taxpayers pay anyone for saving money?


58

How do they plan on managing the massive increase of industrial traffic through Avila? All those materials are not coming in by boat. The illustration above sure looks like assembly of the units is planned here instead of Long Beach like the original proposal. I assume there will need to be a massive maintenance yard located nearby as well. Never thought I would say this but where is the coastal commission when you need them?


67

There is no such thing a a free lunch. Wind farms are mechanical devices that require a tremendous amount of maintenance. Plus, in addition to being costly to maintain, wind farms have a negative impact on the environment.


65

I read a scary report this morning… We are running out of weapons… missiles and munitions fast… a surface to air missile take years to build… If we were attacked by China we would be out of weapons in 6 months… so if President Trump decides to rebuild our military its fine with me if he pauses this green dream some people have…


53

“Drill, baby, drill.” Pay no attention to the fact that most property owners will find it impossible to find affordable insurance in California and Florida in the near future, if not now. Already in Tampa Bay, the baseball team had under insured its stadium because of the expense. Hurricane Helene tore its roof off and now they are about $25 million short on repair costs. Or the numerous home owners who saw their insurance companies go belly up before their claims were paid. We fail to convert our infrastructure to zero emissions at our own peril.


-86

There were hurricanes before fossil fuels


66

Do you agree that nuclear power is zero emissions?

Seems like we could be building nuclear plants, like they do in France, and invest in upgrading our infrastructure and achieve zero emissions. Cheap, abundant, reliable electricity for our electric stoves, water heaters, lights,TVs and cars. All without screwing up the coastline and endangering the marine life.


51

This pollution needs to be stopped before it ever gets off the ground—> https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/debris-broken-vineyard-wind-turbine-now-washing-up-cape-cod-beaches-officials-say/UIIUAIQNCRC7RNKJXKYYBZNUBE/

r


25

A switch to genuinely green projects is urgently needed. However, this offshore money grab, environmental disaster in the making is in no way approaching a genuinely green project. I am proud that our local reaction has been bipartisan, in favor of our environment and our way of life here, which is outstanding.


There will always be entities that will try to sell their snake oil for big bucks, no matter what we want to accomplish. It is up to us to use our best judgement and, to the best of our ability, prevent those situations from developing. It is the price of maintaining paradise.


We may not all agree on some things, but protecting this place we are privileged to occupy should be high on the list of things we can agree to achieve. While this decision from the federal level seems to be going in our favor, some in the future may not. It is important to keep our eyes on what we have to lose here, no matter who is in the upper levels of government and continue to be strong.


55

“There will always be entities that will try to sell their snake oil for big bucks,”

True – such as Community Choice.


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