At its July 9 meeting, the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District publicly reviewed the environmental path for its offshore wind heavy lift marine terminal project and said it is the CEQA lead agency for the work.
An ICF consultant told the board that CEQA is a disclosure process, not a project approval, and that the district is handling the state environmental review. Staff and consultants also said NEPA is not currently triggered for the district’s project because there is no federal funding or federal land nexus at this stage, though the meeting summary notes that separate federal permitting actions could still involve their own review.
The board also heard outreach updates tied to the terminal project. According to the meeting summary, Rachel Smith, chair of the Community Advisory Committee, described a June 24 public meeting in Arcata that drew at least 222 people and produced comments on tribal issues, aquaculture, workforce development, bay health and Samoa impacts. RCEA also outlined a stipend and incentive plan for participation in the outreach effort, with a draft expected in September and about $550,000 in funding available.
Public commenters and commissioners pressed for more information. The meeting summary says commissioner Craig Benson asked questions about CEQA, NEPA and community benefits, while Jennifer Colt of Humboldt Water Keeper asked for clearer NEPA-related answers. An online commenter also asked about NEPA timing and the absence of a NEPA lead agency.
The same meeting put the district’s marina dredging finances in focus. The agenda said the district had no planned dredging activities, and staff reported that the 2023 Woodley Island Marina dredging bid led to work by The Dura Group on about 64,753 cubic feet of material, with the work costing nearly $3.5 million. The summary says current annual dredge fund collections are only about $250,000, leaving the district far short of what another major dredging campaign would cost.
The board also adopted the consent calendar and approved a routine review of the district’s conflict of interest code with no changes, according to the agenda and meeting summary.
