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Trump halts offshore wind: Will California pay the price?

January 22, 2025

Statement from the Sierra Club

On the first day of his presidency, Donald Trump announced he is halting development of all offshore wind projects across the United States. Right now, there are enough offshore wind projects in development in the United States to power more than six million homes once completed.

The order poses a risk to the future construction and operation of five existing federal leases in California, with projects near Morro Bay and Humboldt Bay. Delaying progress on these projects would impact the state’s clean energy transition plan, which includes generating 25 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2045.

By stopping ongoing projects, Trump has cancelled the 77,000 stable, high-paying jobs created by President Biden within the offshore wind sector. Additionally, offshore wind is a reliable source of energy that would lower energy bills for families, and drastically reduce toxic air and water pollution caused by dirty fossil fuels.

Donald Trump’s ban on offshore wind will take jobs away from hard-working Americans, raise monthly energy bills, hurt coastal communities, and expose people to more deadly pollution.

“Offshore wind is essential to California’s transition to responsible, clean energy,” said Julia Rose Manriquez Dowell, Sierra Club Senior Campaign Organizer. “Instead of prolonging our energy dependence on harmful methane gas plants—as Trump is doing now—we need to be building out ports and turbines, creating a clean energy economy along our coast that boosts jobs and the health of our communities.”

“By banning offshore wind, Trump is kneecapping a critical contributor to our grid,” said Xavier Boatright, Sierra Club Deputy Legislative Director for Clean Energy and Electrification. “Offshore wind is cheaper, safer, and more reliable than fossil fuels, yet Donald Trump has once again sold out the American people in order to boost profits for his buddies in the fossil fuel industry.

“As our country faces increasing energy demands and a worsening climate crisis, now is not the time to pump the brakes on offshore wind. We are ready to fight back against this callous decision that will raise prices for our communities, take away jobs, and worsen the state of our environment.”

The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person’s right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.

 


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Offshore wind is more reliable than fossil fuels…what? Glad they won’t be wrecking fisherman’s beach in Avila. When I saw the schematics I nearly threw up.


46

Yes, try and build it without fossil fuels.


3

As I’ve been saying; build 3 or 4 more Diablo sized plants, or a half dozen smaller plants, right next to Diablo, and send more than enough power to the state grid for the next 50 years.


As the world knows, you don’t need Diablo sized plants (only built as large as it is, to make enormous amounts of energy from one source). France makes 75% of their grid power, with dozens of much smaller nuclear power plants. They have also developed plants that use spent fuel rods…as fuel, which results in a tiny fraction of waste than is normally associated with spent rods.


24/7/365 power, when the sun don’t shine, and the wind don’t blow.


27

France is not built on the Pacific Ring of Fire and has very few earthquakes, none very big. California, on the other hand, has thousands of earthquakes every year and some are quite big. Diablo is built directly over the Hosgri Fault. The plant has been safe for many years but we are pressing our luck.


-20

Could the Sierra Club be accepting donations from Wind Farm companies or other proponents of wind energy? I think so!


42

Stop with the grass roots . The Sierra Club is a 501c social welfare non profit paying no taxes . It’s a huge enterprise with nearly $ 200 million dollar budget. They received taxpayers dollars from the Inflation Reduction Act. They also receive tax deductible donations from the monied interests pushing wind and solar power. They cannot tell you the unsubsidized cost of wind energy that should include the costs for parallel energy back up, nor the cost to the consumer, nor the externalities costs nor the unintended consequences of industrializing the ocean and coastal communities. The Sierra Club minimizes the harm to sea mammals, sea birds, insects and fisheries. These mammoth machines take regular servicing by ships to replace carbon fluids, bearings, shafts, gears and blades. Wind turbines break down, wear out and are junked. Don’t forget the visual pollution and the thousands of acres needed for this low yielding energy.There is no logic in putting these mechanical devices with multiple moving parts in the such a harsh climate as the ocean. I haven’t even mentioned the miles of submarine cables …. No in wind.


52

I think we all generally want the same things for our area and economy.

But a growing plurality don’t see it the way the Sierra Club does. We haven’t been convinced by the evidence at hand- often one sided . We don’t believe in the panic of “Climate Crisis”. We don’t believe groups or individuals like Al Gore telling us that the Science is “ settled” and they know what’s best for us, We don’t believe politicians who have campaign funds tied to such groups and industries.

We are tired of the hard sell , year after year.

We’re tried of watching so called “dirty” industry and energy generation being shipped out of sight- to other states and countries so we can pretend to be clean and smarter and progressive.

Tired of being told we can’t ride our horse here or there, drink out of a straw at a restaurant or to bring our own bags to the grocery store.

We aren’t going to share in your unattainable utopian vision of the future.

Tired of living in fear of unproven concepts.

I’m sorry . I was a proud member of your club many years ago, but the institution I see before me now ….I’m done with.


45

Well said, these are the people that wont let you put a 1″ water line across a creek that’s dry 5 out of 6 years.


3

Does the Sierra Club still have any real relevance?


45

Well, they pushed the hardest to stop logical forest management in the Sierras….before the whole thing went up in flames due to the lack of forest management.


So they got that going for them…


32

Good, then they won’t need the 600 megawatt battery facility in Morro Bay!


45

Sierra Club is sounding more like a mouthpiece for labor unions and less like an organization dedicated to protecting the environment and all the living beings.


59

Destroying the Ocean and our Coastline is not the answer. Drill Baby Drill!


42

Texas-sized thinking.


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