The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) on potential impacts related to the proposed offshore wind farm.
The area proposed for the Morro Bay Wind Energy Project is located 20 miles offshore and encompasses around 376 square miles.
It lists air pollution from boats, construction, and equipment as one potential impact of the development. That’s a concern for the Morro Bay Commercial Fishermen’s Organization.
“There will be little left for the fishing industry and also all of the ships’ traffic and debris,” said Jeremiah O’Brien, Morro Bay Commercial Fishermen’s Organization Vice President.
O’Brien has other concerns with the report also citing an increased risk of injury or death to marine mammals due to vessel strikes and disturbances from underwater noise during construction.
“There are unquestionably deaths in the marine mammals and birds. There is no question,” O’Brien said.
A disruption to local fishing was also listed in the report. O’Brien says it will leave fishermen displaced.
“They’re just crowding us into a smaller and smaller place and when we’re all in one little spot, there will be an impact on the fish and then we’ll get blamed for it,” he said.
The BOEM report states most of the potential impacts would be temporary, occurring during construction.
Los Osos resident John Biven says he wants clean energy but without an impact on marine life.
“The power would be nice to have, the clean power. Having all those cables and lines and the whale issues with having those tethered to the ocean floor, I'm kind of in the middle on it,” Biven said.
Leaseholder Equinor says they are in the process of reviewing the draft EIS. Leaseholder Invenergy says they are committed to supporting a healthy marine environment. The third leaseholder, Golden State Wind, has not responded to a request for comment.
BOEM will consider any public comment when preparing the final EIS. As of Tuesday afternoon, only 10 comments have been submitted.
If you’d like to comment on the draft EIS, the deadline is February 12. You can submit your comments here.
