President Joe Biden’s key goals – conservation and transitioning to clean energy – clash in the ocean along California’s serene Central Coast.
Morro Bay, nestled between San Francisco and Los Angeles, is home to a diverse ecosystem cherished by the Indigenous Chumash community, who advocate for its protection through a proposed marine sanctuary.
However, 20 miles offshore, developers intend to establish some of the West Coast’s first offshore wind farms. These farms, featuring towering 1,100-foot-tall turbines anchored to the seabed, aim to assist California in reducing its carbon emissions.
Erik Milito, president of the National Ocean Industries Association, an industry trade group, said, “California and the whole West Coast can become a leader in floating wind, but it can’t be a leader if the federal government is going to put obstacles in place in the form of massive sanctuaries.”
Violet Sage Walker, chairwoman of the Northern Chumash Tribal Council, said, “If renewable energy developers are allowed to run afoul just like fossil fuel interests do, what’s the point?”
“There is so much at risk here. Morro Bay is a sacred place, yet its history of environmental degradation spans generations. We do not want to see this legacy of disrespect continue,” Sage Walker added.
California officials believe that a balance between conservation and development is achievable.
David Hochschild, chair of the California Energy Commission, states that sufficient coastal waters still lack sanctuary protection, enabling the state to pursue its offshore wind objectives. Hochschild emphasises the complexity of challenges but asserts that all issues are solvable within reach.
