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Trump suspends offshore wind energy, Morro Bay projects in peril

January 21, 2025

Floating windmill designs

By KAREN VELIE

President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order halting new offshore wind leases in federal waters while pausing current leases, such as the three charters off the coast of Morro Bay.

The order instructs the Secretary of the Interior to examine the ecological, economic, and environmental necessity of terminating or amending any existing wind energy leases. During the assessment, agencies are barred from issuing or renewing approvals, rights of way, permits or loans for both onshore and offshore wind projects.

“The assessment shall consider the environmental impact of onshore and offshore wind projects upon wildlife, including, but not limited to, birds and marine mammals,” according to the executive order. “The assessment shall also consider the economic costs associated with the intermittent generation of electricity and the effect of subsidies on the viability of the wind industry.”

In 2022, the federal government auctioned off three offshore wind energy sites located between 20 and 30 miles off the coast of Morro Bay. The goal was to have the windmills in the water by 2030.

While the majority of San Luis Obispo County residents initially supported the “green energy” projects, 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 would have significant impacts on the local economy, the fishing industry and the ecosystems. The support systems on land would include massive piers, and could require new breakwaters and dredging.

 


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In “peril” ? If President Trump can stop these low yielding , costly environmentally destructive wind turbine’s and acres of batteries needed to support the turbines he will take Morro Bay out of “peril” from the wind industry.


21

I know it will be a little troubling for some, but common senses will yield big dividends because consequences will be included in the thought process. Common sense in not political, it is analytical and not about me first, my preference or the gang mentality.


4

Free speech lets us know when we are wrong. Fear those that silence speech as it has nothing to do with knowledge, understanding, pros and cons of an issue it is all about being right or at least winning if there is a monetary benefit to them or simply their pride.


0

Great news!!! I hate windmills… can’t stand the site of them blocking out the beauty of nature and killing birds… rotting away in our California dessert….


41

Have you ever been to Bakersfield? Tell us how you love oil wells.


-13

Energy production per acre… oil wells generally produce significantly more energy than windmills in a single location…we can do better than a trade off… we must pause and find a better way…. off shore wind is not it…


5

A broken clock is right twice a day.


-28

I’m so Grateful!! We were being railroaded by outsiders who could care less about the impact on anything but their own wallets. Now they will have to prove its good for all of us!


49

Grateful for President Trump’s leadership. Even more grateful for his courage, strength, fight to make America great again. He is our greatest patriot since 1776.


37

I don’t remember George Washington, John Adams, Ben Franklin or Thomas Jefferson being convicted felons—must have missed that in American History class.


-59

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.


-9

Interestingly, from the British perspective, the signers of the Declaration of Independence were considered to be committing treason because they were openly declaring their separation from the British Crown, an act that was seen as a betrayal of allegiance and punishable by death. So I guess it all comes down to one’s perspective and whether or not you are on the side of the one who won or the one who lost. Further, as to Trump, he doesn’t have to go to jail, pay a fine or perform community service as a result of his New York hush money conviction, the judge ended the case with a sentence of an unconditional discharge, closing the case with no punishment.


41

Thank You for being one of the few that understood my comment.


12

That’s your public school education Adam. All of them were convicted of treason (a felony) with death warrants on their heads.


29

Their prosecutors had courage. Mueller and Garland were cowards.


0

A convicted felon grifter that added $8,000,000,000,000,000 to our debt. Remember how many maga’s were interviewed and said “We’re leaving a debt our kids and grandkids will be stuck with” But when Trump did it, he was ok..

When we were discussing immigration the MAGA said “We’re not against Mexicans, we’re against Law breakers” But if you storm our nations capital, you’re not a law breaker, your a patriot”

The people that stormed our Consulate in Benghazi triggered a bunch of hearings about how they could allow that?.


We KNOW, not feel, have a hunch, or even an opinion that REGARDLESS of FACTS, conservatives will downvote this comment and some people are just waiting to see a post that they can downvote. Let guess though there will be at LEAST 40 downvotes by Friday at noon.


-10

Trump added $6.7T in debt. Over $3T of that was in Covid funding, which was mostly authored by the Democrat controlled House. Biden added over $7T in debt, with no pandemic to fund. It was all to fund social welfare handouts, green energy projects and infrastructure (a lot of which has a green energy focus). Biden was also racking up $1T in debt every 100 days in his final year in office due to the huge spike in interest rates that were necessary to combat the inflation his spending and money printing cost. Trump just inherited that and will hopefully do massive spending cuts to bring down the debt.


8

Now wind proponents will have to actually make their case for all aspects of these projects- no more trying to rush everything through in the cover of darkness.

Unfortunately in modern America, we all must remain skeptical.

In the stark light of day, these “ projects” won’t make it . Too much risk,too much money,not enough return.

Stay vigilant!


79

No one can tell the consumer the actual unsubsidized cost that they will pay for wind or solar much less the externalities and unintended consequences. Free speech is so needed. Free speech lets us know when we are wrong.


38

Well, gee, I guess maybe Morro Bay City Council and Dawn Addis ought to revisit the idea of turning the old power plant building into an aquarium, since I think their Plan A has been put on ice.


66

Good. This project, in my opinion, was shaping up to be Bullet Train meets Gilligan’s Island. Without massive subsidies it makes no economic sense. If Trump can start kicking the Green Grifters in the gooch, repeatedly, I’m here for the show.


84

The rest of the civilized world has bullet trains and universal healthcare We have people actually arguing against the High speed rail.


-14

Actually, I’m not opposed to high-speed rail. However, any objective, dispassionate analysis of how California has approached it simply has to, in my opinion, come to the conclusion that the whole thing is a giant disaster. They brought in the French TGV consultants, who advised them to run up the I-5 corridor since most of the earthwork has long since been done. Nope! California knew better. Now we’re years behind schedule and billions over budget to try and complete a link between Bakersfield and Madera. All of the original promises of the bond initiative have been blown out of the water. At this point it’s just good money after bad. It could have been done correctly, but it wasn’t. Running a bullet train through the Tehachapis is different than the coastal plains of Asia or Europe. I’d like to see a no-nonsense, no holds barred, honest-to-goodness forensic audit of this project. I hope the new administration will initiate that.


7

Does the rest of the world build high speed rail affordably and efficiently? CA’s high speed rail has been in the works for two decades, has cost billions with nothing to show for it, and is now projected to cost over $100B to complete.


8

It’s a high speed fail so far.


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