Floating offshore wind energy:
the good, the bad, and the unknowns
By Eric Wriston | October 6, 2024
While wind turbines provide renewable energy, we must make sure the transition is just and includes all voices. Photo by Department of Energy.
It’s always exciting to work on cutting edge issues, and floating offshore wind development in Oregon is no different. Since I started at Crag in January of this year, I’ve been working with our partners at Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition, together with a broad coalition of local and national groups, to track, understand, and shape the complex process for developing this technology in the Pacific Northwest.
The coast is a special place to me, so I am passionate about working on issues that could affect it.
Earlier this year, the federal government announced that they plan to lease 1,800 square miles off the Southern Coast of Oregon to develop floating offshore wind energy. That’s 12 times the area of the City of Portland! Similar projects have already been leased in Northern California, and additional projects will likely be proposed in the future along the West Coast. These projects will be the first of their kind in the United States. Any turbines that are built here will likely be more than twice as tall as the St. Johns Bridge — significantly larger than their onshore counterparts.
Although these projects could generate significant renewable energy and support our transition off of fossil fuels, their scale and novelty brings uncertainty to coastal communities. Here are the good, the bad, and the unknowns about floating offshore wind energy in Oregon.
The good
The climate crisis demands urgent action to develop renewable sources of energy to transition off of fossil fuels. Offshore wind is one such potential source and could provide a significant amount of the energy needed for Oregon to meet its 100% renewable energy goal. According to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the federal agency responsible for the leases, the proposed leases in Oregon could supply enough energy to power one million homes.
The Oregon coast supports incredibly diverse ecosystems. Photo by Dan Meyers.
The proposed wind leases will be in a sensitive ecosystem that is crucial to Oregon’s marine life like the humpback whale. Photo by Adam Ernst.
The bad
The principles of a just energy transition call for avoiding the mistakes made with past large-scale energy development that has too often been pushed through without considering impacts to frontline communities and the environment. Coastal Tribes, local communities, and ocean experts have raised serious concerns about potential effects of the proposed Oregon leases that BOEM has, so far, failed to address. Instead, the agency has conducted a rushed and segmented environmental analysis that only considers the effects of site assessment (i.e., conducting surveys and research to figure out how to build future projects) and does not consider the effects of the future construction of these facilities.
In this process, the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians (CTCLUSI) has stated that its concerns have been ignored despite the government’s obligation to consult with them. For example, BOEM has not addressed the Tribe’s repeated asks to remove culturally important viewsheds from the leases.
The unknowns
This is a new technology and building these massive developments along the West Coast raises additional questions because of our uniquely productive and sensitive ecosystems. For example, there is a risk that the proposed facilities could negatively impact ocean upwelling, a dynamic process driven by the wind that sustains the California Current Ecosystem that spans the West Coast. Additionally, there has been very little analysis of the onshore impacts this development would have on the ports, estuaries, and coastal communities that would be required to develop and sustain this enormous infrastructure expansion.
This is me presenting at the Oregon Shores land use event July 11, 2024.
Ultimately, ensuring a just transition from fossil fuels demands more from the agencies responsible for this development. Crag has been working with our clients, in coalition with a broad array of local and national environmental organizations, to advocate for the state and federal governments to think thoughtfully about these issues, listen to community and tribal voices, and implement safeguards from the risk. Doing so is necessary to ensure that a just transition from fossil fuels does not perpetuate harm to the environment, wildlife, and communities.
Eric Wriston, Associate Attorney
Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Eric’s first experience with Crag was as a Summer Associate in 2021. He attended the University of Michigan, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy with a focus on climate and environmental policy, and later received his JD from Harvard Law School. Eric is a member of the Oregon State Bar.
Prior to joining Crag, Eric worked as a legal fellow at Environmental Defense Fund where his work focused on reducing emissions from the transportation sector. Outside of the office, Eric enjoys getting outside as much as possible to ski, hike, kayak, run, and otherwise take advantage of all that the beautiful Pacific Northwest has to offer.