Case Study

Organizing around the 2022–2023 lease sale for offshore wind in California, the Redwood Region Climate and Community Resilience Hub (CORE Hub), a program of the Humboldt Area Foundation and the Wild Rivers Community Foundation, convened a new coalition called the North Coast Community Benefits Network. The Network includes a broad range of community groups, including Tribal nations, local governments, environmental organizations, labor and community leaders, and academics. In a public comment submitted to BOEM, the coalition proposed that 50 percent of federal revenues from the lease sale should be distributed locally to Tribes, Tribal Fisheries, local communities, and environmental research and monitoring. This would include extended credits with regional investments in community benefits, workforce, and supply chain development. 

Crowley Wind Services was selected as the original heavy lift terminal developer. After initial refusal, the coalition was able to convince Crowley Wind Services to engage in CBA negotiations. These were proceeding until Crowley decided to release their exclusive right to negotiate. The Humboldt Bay Harbor and Recreation District (HBHRD) reissued an RFP for the design of the terminal and will later release another one for the build with the expectation that the selected developer will understand the need to engage in CBA negotiations.

The coalition has conducted extensive research and has engaged in persistent advocacy to yield community benefits not just from offshore wind developers that are already incentivized to negotiate CBAs for credits, but also to hold accountable port infrastructure developers, such as heavy lift terminal operators. They have done so by refusing to separate CBA negotiations from the environmental review process, which offers a wealth of information on significant impacts to leverage. Additionally, the coalition has called for meaningful Tribal engagement and a community advisory committee as well as several other committees centered on the heavy lift terminal project. Thus far, they have been successful. 

The Blue Lake Rancheria, with support from the North Coast Community Benefits Network, has advocated for the Humboldt Bay Harbor District to adopt a resolution to implement a green port strategy. This too was successful. Safety is also a key priority, particularly for Tribes like the Yurok, Wiyot, and Blue Lake Rancheria, the latter of which has sought protections to prevent an increase in missing and murdered Indigenous people (MMIP), a statistic often disproportionately high in proximity to extractive industries. Such policies and procedures might include vehicle identification, employee agreements, accountability metrics, and more. The HBHRD also adopted an MMIP protections resolution.