People from all around San Luis Obispo County gathered on Saturday in Morro Bay hoping to draw attention to proposed offshore wind development.
Around 100 people took the streets of morro bay marching from the Veteran’s Memorial Building to the South T-Pier and along the Embarcadero with signs saying they don’t want wind farms along the Central Coast. Two boats also took part in the action along the water next to the South T-Pier as people cheered on.
It took about five weeks to put the event together.
Equinor, one of the wind developers, said they value community engagement and look forward to addressing their concerns. In a statement to KSBY, they said in part, “We look forward to meeting community members and to gathering more feedback, exchanging ideas and addressing concerns over the coming years as we build Atlas Wind with an emphasis on safety, community input, and bringing significant benefits to our host communities.”
“This movement is growing really fast, so a lot of members showed up to help,” said Mandy Davis, REACT Alliance president & founder.
Those who took part in the march were surprised but pleased to see people from outside the city show up in support.
“People are here from all over the county and that’s really great. I thought it would just be people from Morro Bay, Cayucos that type of thing, but there’s folks from everywhere which is really uplifting,” said Harry Farmer, Cambria resident.
The offshore wind project would encompass a 400-square mile area off the coast northwest of Morro Bay. “I just hope that people get educated about it and tell our Board of Supervisors how we feel as well as our city officials,” said Betty Winholtz, Morro Bay resident.
The event also included a silent auction, live performances from local bands and food trucks. “The fact that we can get together, celebrate the oceans and also let the offshore wind people know that this project is not something that we want in our area,” Davis said.
A lawsuit was recently filed by the Morro Bay Commercial Fisherman’s Organization along with the Port San Luis Commercial Fisherman’s Association against the three offshore wind developers, California Coastal Commission, California State Lands Commission and vessel owners that are doing offshore research.
