Public Comment In Person Only

County Government Center

1055 Monterey Street

San Luis Obispo, Ca

CALL TO ACTION:

The Board of Supervisors passed Resolution No. 2021-134 way back in 2021 supporting offshore wind. This passage was extremely premature as the ramifications and impacts of offhshore wind were not known. The vote was 4 in favor with Supervisor Arnold recusing herself.

Below is the resolution and we will be providing specific talking points for the upcoming meetings. Please plan on attending.

RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE POTENTIAL OF RENEWABLE WIND POWER GENERATION FOR, AND CLEAN ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE, AS LONG-TERM ECONOMIC BENEFITS TO

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY

 The following resolution is hereby offered and read:

WHEREAS, power generation from the wind, including offshore wind, is being developed globally as a means of providing a clean, reliable energy source of energy as nations reduce dependence on fossil fuels; and

 WHEREAS, the United States Executive Administration has established a target of 30 gigawatts (GW) of installed offshore wind energy by 2030, and on May 25, 2021, announced plans to open California coast to offshore wind development and allow wind power projects to be built in an area northwest of Morro Bay; and

 WHEREAS, California, a pioneer and leader in renewable energy, passed the 100 Percent Clean Energy Act of 2018 and directed that eligible renewable energy resources supply 100% of retail sales of electricity to California customers by December 31, 2045; and

 WHEREAS, San Luis Obispo County has been a leader in energy generation for over a century, including the current contribution of 2.2 gigawatts of carbon free, base load energy generated at Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant and, 800 megawatts of utility scale solar generation; and

WHEREAS, the United States Department of Interior, through its Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), has identified promising areas in Federal waters off the central and northern California coast for wind energy production; and

 WHEREAS, Federal and State policy mandate and encourage local workforce partnerships and economic benefits to communities that help foster offshore wind energy production; and

WHEREAS, there is record demand for sustainable renewable energy and record investment by the private and public sector in its development; and

 WHEREAS, on May 25, 2021, the Federal Government announced 399 square miles and a up to 3GW generation capacity of offshore wind energy with attendant economic benefits; and

 WHEREAS, the federal government has allocated $3 billion in federal offshore wind loan guarantees and infrastructure investment for coastal ports; and

 WHEREAS, plans need to be developed to improve existing waterfront facilities that could support a range of floating offshore wind energy development activities that can create nearly 12,000 specialized wind port construction jobs over 5 years and up to 650 operations and maintenance jobs annually, in perpetuity for a 3GW wind farm; and

 WHEREAS, the Central Coast encompasses ancestral homelands of the yak tityu tityu yak ti!hini Northern Chumash people, the Aboriginal Titleholders, and the County will coordinate with California Native American tribes regarding policies that may affect tribal communities; and

 WHEREAS, the County of San Luis Obispo acknowledges that the commercial fishing activities are coastal dependent uses receiving the highest priority under the California Coastal Act and the Federal Coastal Zone Management Act, and that the continuing viability of which is of critical importance to maintaining the commercial fishing industry along the California coast. And that the local commercial fishing industry is subject to substantial economic pressures, is vulnerable from a range of regulatory, economic, and market impacts, and that the cumulative effects of the [Project] coupled with these pressures, may impact its members; and

 WHEREAS, the Central Coast commercial fishing fleet contributes to the economy, quality of life, and culture of the region, the County commits to collaborate with the fleet regarding policies that may affect commercial fishing.

 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED AND ORDERED that the Board of Supervisors of the County of San Luis Obispo, State of California, support Federal and State initiatives aimed at developing wind, energy storage and other forms of renewable energy needed to offset the loss of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, and advocate for state and federal funding to advance feasibility studies for locating a clean energy port and supporting infrastructure in SLO County for the development of offshore wind energy as may be planned by the Federal Government and the State of California that includes an analysis of the economic impact to the commercial fishing industry.

OR

Speak generally about your concerns with Offshore Wind.

OR

Speak to the Environmental Disaster on the East Coast and how it is easily replicated on the West Coast with the proposed OSW project.

OR

Speak to the decision by the Port San Luis Harbor District regarding moving forward with Offshore Wind.

www.slocounty.org