Three candidates seeking a seat on the Humboldt Bay Harbor District commission offered different priorities for a proposed offshore wind terminal, from creating local jobs to protecting the bay’s oyster industry.
The Division 4 seat covers most of Eureka and the southern Samoa Peninsula, including the proposed terminal site. The district plans to develop a facility to assemble and prepare floating wind turbines for deployment off the West Coast.
The candidates met at a forum last week hosted by the Humboldt Association of Realtors.
Incumbent Craig Benson said conservation comes before port development, but the district should still have a say in offshore wind’s future.
“We also have to respond to what's going to happen to us," he said. "Do we want to be involved in that? Do we want to just stay out of it completely and just watch it happen offshore, where we don't derive any benefit from it? I think we can find a way to derive benefit from it.”
Chris Honar, a small business owner, said Humboldt Bay is critical to offshore wind and clean energy development. He said the commission can set the port's vision.
"These are the decisions that in the coming years are going to reach into people's daily lives, their jobs, their neighborhoods, their homes, and their ability to enjoy this place," said Honar. "I want a working waterfront where local people can build a future."
Jane Madsen, a retired judge, questioned the viability of a zero-emission port and raised concerns about the terminal’s potential effects on oyster farming.
"We're the only clean bay left," she said. "I don't want to see it turn into Oakland."
Madsen said additional ship traffic could stir up sediment in the bay and hurt oyster farming, which a recent report estimated contributed $31 million to the local economy.
The Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District, which oversees activities ranging from dredging to recreation, is preparing an environmental impact report on the proposed terminal.
A public meeting on the environmental review is scheduled for Nov. 4. Construction could begin as early as 2028, depending on funding and permits.
