Help Create Over 17,000 Jobs and Power 3.5 Million Homes with California Offshore Wind
Honorable Governor Gavin Newsom
1303 10th Street, Suite 1173,
Sacramento, CA 95814
Add your voice
Dear Governor Newsom,
We, the undersigned elected officials, support the responsible development of offshore wind for California to create jobs, lead America’s clean energy transition, and protect our state from the worst impacts of the climate emergency.
California’s current dependence on dirty and dangerous fossil fuel production is making our state and planet less safe. From ever-worsening droughts and wildfires that are devastating our communities to the estimated 34,000 Californians who die each year from fossil fuel pollution, the urgency for ending the era of fossil fuels is clear. In the wake of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, we must act on the scale and speed that science demands to address the escalating climate emergency, protect public health, and end systemic environmental racism caused by fossil fuel pollution.1
Responsible development of California’s offshore wind resources is imperative to reach our statewide goal of 100% clean power by 2045, while creating thousands of high-skilled jobs, reducing demand for polluting fossil fuels, and protecting our marine resources and coastal communities.2
Thank you for your leadership in proposing an additional $45 million for investments to prepare waterfront facilities in California to support floating offshore wind energy development in federal waters off the coast. We encourage you to support and implement the recommendations within California Energy Commission’s (CEC) May, 2022 report issued in response to the offshore wind law AB 525, which you signed into law after it passed with nearly-unanimous bipartisan support. The goals set out in the report, including generating 3 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind by 2030 and 18 GW to 20 GW by 2045, which would enable California to reach 100% renewable power by 2045.3
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) estimates California’s technical potential for offshore wind power at well over 100 GW.4 NREL estimates that building 10 GW of offshore wind power in California would support thousands of jobs, supply competitively priced power5 for at least 3.5 million homes, and generate $20 billion in GDP by 2050.6
California can become America’s offshore wind powerhouse by exporting clean, renewable wind power to other states. A report by Environment California Research & Policy Center and Frontier Group, found that California could provide 157 percent of our state’s 2019 electricity usage with offshore wind alone.7
By meeting our electricity needs through clean, pollution-free offshore wind energy, California can deliver air quality improvements to frontline communities. About 78 percent of our gas power plants reside in communities identified by CalEPA as having the state’s highest burden of poverty and cumulative environmental health burdens.8 Typically these are Black and Brown communities that suffer from fossil fuel production and factories that spew toxins, which have been strategically located in their communities because they were redlined decades ago.
California has an incredible opportunity to create more than 17,500 good-paying jobs by 2045 and improve air quality in frontline communities due to the Biden administration opening up roughly 399 square miles off the central coast region, northwest of Morro Bay, and advancing the Humboldt Call Area as a potential Wind Energy Area for offshore wind.9,10,11
Support for offshore wind development in California is growing rapidly, with wide support among labor unions, industry, and environmental groups.12To ensure the economic benefits of offshore wind are shared equitably, frontline communities must be included in the manufacturing, development, and generation of offshore wind power. Thousands of shovel-ready union jobs will be created, as well as port revitalization, which alone can add up to 6,000 local, full-time equivalent jobs per port right away, according to a report from Brightline Defense.13
Investing in offshore wind will generate thousands of additional jobs in construction, manufacturing, turbine demonstration, and transmission line projects as well as create a pathway for some oil workers to transition to this new vibrant industry. Apprenticeship training programs will add new career pathways for trade workers. These opportunities will also prepare the state’s workforce to build, operate and maintain a 100% clean energy electricity grid.14
To avert the most catastrophic effects of the climate emergency, we must heed the International Energy Agency’s report warning that governments must immediately stop new oil and gas production.15 Responsible offshore wind development is crucial to transitioning California to 100% clean energy.
California can lead our nation in developing America’s offshore wind power, which has the potential to meet 90% of total U.S. energy demand by 2050.16
We’re at the vanguard of a new clean, renewable energy industry that will generate thousands of jobs, create prosperity for our communities, improve our health, and help protect our coastlines. Offshore wind is essential for a prosperous, healthy, and just future for California.
Sincerely,
Members, Elected Officials to Protect America (EOPA) California
Name | Elected Position | Elected Municipality or District |
---|---|---|
Barry Beck | Assessor | Mono County |
Jim Provenza | Board Chair | Yolo County |
Shanthi Gonzales | Board Member | Oakland Unified School District |
Doug Linney | Board Member | East Bay Municipal Utility District |
Tara Sreekrishnan | Board Member | Santa Clara County Board of Education |
Adam Carranza | Board Member | Mountain View School District |
Caitlin Quinn | Trustee | Petaluma Joint Union High School District |
Christopher Smith | Councilmember | City Of Oakdale |
Alexis Garcia-Arrazola | Councilmember | City of Seaside |
Victor Aguilar | Councilmember | City of San Leandro |
Rigel Robinson | Councilmember | City of Berkeley |
Deborah Cox | Councilmember | City of San Leandro |
Dianne Martinez | Councilmember | City of Emeryville |
Loren Taylor | Councilmember | City of Oakland |
Laura Hernandez | Councilmember | City of Port Hueneme |
Claudia Jimenez | Councilmember | City of Richmond |
Paul Fadeli | Councilmember | City of El Cerrito |
Kara Taylor | Councilmember | City of Placerville |
Felipe Perez | Councilmember | City of Firebaugh |
Salvador Solorio-Ruiz | Councilmember | City of Delano |
Felicia Williams | Councilmember | City of Pasadena |
Eric Alegria | Councilmember | City of Rancho Palos Verdes |
Mike Bonin | Councilmember | City of Los Angeles |
Paul Koretz | Councilmember | City of Los Angeles |
Andrew Lewis | Councilmember | Councilmember |
John D'Amico | Councilmember | City of West Hollywood |
Lindsey Horvath | Councilmember | City of West Hollywood |
Phil Brock | Councilmember | City of Santa Monica |
Nithya Raman | Councilmember | City of Los Angeles |
Eli Beckman | Councilmember | City of Corte Madera |
Kristi Becker | Councilmember | City of Solana Beach |
Jennifer Torres-Ocallaghan | Councilmember | City of Lathrop |
Marcia Guthrie | Councilmember | City of Pismo Beach |
Harvey Rarback | Councilmember | City of Half Moon Bay |
Rebeca Armendariz | Councilmember | City of Gilroy |
Sudhanshu Jain | Councilmember | City of Santa Clara |
Justin Cummings | Councilmember | City of Santa Cruz |
Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson | Councilmember | City of Santa Cruz |
D'Lynda Fischer | Councilmember | City of Petaluma |
Dennis Pocekay | Councilmember | City of Petaluma |
Melanie Bagby | Councilmember | City of Cloverdale |
Colette Such | Councilmember | City of Sonora |
Bert Perello | Councilmember | City of Oxnard |
Mina Loera-Diaz | Councilmember | City of Vallejo |
Sally Lieber | Councilmember | City of Mountain View |
Rebecca Kaplan | Vice Mayor | City of Oakland |
Das Williams | County Supervisor | Santa Barbara County |
Joan Hartmann | County Supervisor | Santa Barbara County |
Susan Gorin | County Supervisor | Sonoma County |
Andy Katz | Director | East Bay Municipal Utility District |
Jovanka Beckles | Director | AC Transit Board |
Josh Gray | Director | Rancho Simi Recreation & Parks District |
Neal Latt | Director | Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District |
Pat Kearney | Councilmember | City of Lawndale |
Eduardo Martinez | Mayor | City of Richmond |
Gabriel Quinto | Mayor | City of El Cerrito |
Rey Leon | Mayor | City of Huron |
Alma Beltran | Mayor | City of Parlier |
Jose Gurrola | Mayor | City of Arvin |
Bryan Osorio | Mayor | City of Delano |
Elizabeth Alcantar | Mayor | City of Cudahy |
Diana Mahmud | Mayor | City of South Pasadena |
Lauren Meister | Mayor | City of West Hollywood |
Daniel Lee | Mayor | City of Culver City |
Meghan Sahli-Wells | Mayor | City of Culver City |
Ian Oglesby | Mayor | City of Seaside |
Serge Dedina | Mayor | City of Imperial Beach California |
Catherine Blakespear | Mayor | City of Encinitas |
Erica Stewart | Mayor | City of San Luis Obispo |
John Headding | Mayor | City of Morro Bay |
Heidi Harmon | Mayor | City of San Luis Obispo |
Sofia Rubalcava | Mayor | City of San Buenaventura |
Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft | Mayor | City of Alameda |
Jorgel Chavez | Mayor Pro Tem | City of Bell Gardens |
Devin Murphy | Mayor Pro Tem | City of Pinole |
Salvador Melendez | Councilmember | City of Montebello |
Rebecca Saltzman | President | Bay Area Rapid Transit Region Board |
Xilonin Cruz-Gonzalez | School Board Member | Azusa Unified School District |
James Aguilar | Trustee | San Leandro Unified School District |
Sydney Kamlager-Dove | State Senator | District 30 |
Don Saylor | County Supervisor | Yolo County |
John West | Councilmember | City of Trinidad |
Dianne Jones | Trustee | Fremont Unified School District |
Laura Santos | Trustee | Mt San Antonio College |
John Rizzo | Trustee | City College of San Francisco |
Chris Ungar | Trustee | San Luis Coastal Unified School District |
Jonathan Abboud | Trustee | Santa Barbara Community College District |
Ryan Segoviano | Trustee | Patterson Joint Unified School District |
Steve Trujillo | Trustee | Cabrillo College |
Chance Cutrano | Vice Mayor | Town of Fairfax |
Al Clark | Vice Mayor | City of Carpinteria |
Alison Hicks | Vice Mayor | City of Mountain View |
Martha Camacho Rodriguez | Water Board Director | Central Basin Municipal Water |
*Titles reflect elected position at the time of signing.
References
1. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). 2002. “Sixth Assessment Report: Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability.” https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-working-group-ii/
2. California Energy Commission. 2021. “SB 100 Joint Agency Report.” https://www.energy.ca.gov/sb100
3. California Energy Commission. May 2022. “Draft Commission Report: Offshore Wind Energy Development off the California Coast.” https://www.energy.ca.gov/publications/2022/offshore-wind-energy-development-california-coast-maximum-feasible-capacity-and
4. National Renewable Energy Laboratory. October 2020. “2020 Offshore Wind Resource Assessment for the California Pacific Outer Continental Shelf.” https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy21osti/77642.pdf
5. National Renewable Energy Laboratory. November 2020. “The Cost of Floating Offshore Wind Energy in California Between 2019 and 2032.” https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy21osti/77384.pdf
6. National Renewable Energy Laboratory. 2016. “Floating Offshore Wind in California: Gross Potential for Jobs and Economic Impacts from Two Future Scenarios.” https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy16osti/65352.pdf
7. Environment California Research & Policy Center and the Frontier Group. March 2021. “Offshore Wind for America: The promise and potential of clean energy off our coasts.” https://environmentamerica.org/sites/environment/files/reports/AME_Offshore-Wind-For-America_2021.pdf?_ga=2.170387237.424246226.1653340209-1568289227.1651504516
8. Lost Coast Outpost. May 2021. “Newsom’s Budget Includes $11M for Port of Humboldt Bay Development to Support Emerging Offshore Wind Industry.” https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2021/may/19/newsoms-budget-includes-11m-port-humboldt-bay-supp/
9. American Jobs Project. February 2019. “The California Offshore Wind Project: A Vision for Industry Growth.” http://americanjobsproject.us/ajp-state/california
10. Call Matters. March 2021. “California could lead the nation in offshore wind energy.” https://calmatters.org/commentary/my-turn/2021/03/california-could-lead-the-nation-in-offshore-wind-energy/
11. The White House. May 2021. “FACT SHEET: Biden Administration Opens Pacific Coast to New Jobs and Clean Energy Production with Offshore Wind Development.” https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/05/25/fact-sheet-biden-administration-opens-pacific-coast-to-new-jobs-and-clean-energy-production-with-offshore-wind-development/
12. San Francisco Chronicle. March 2021. Offshore wind can give California more renewable energy and well-paying jobs.” https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/Offshore-wind-can-give-California-more-renewable-15998376.php
13. Brightline Defense. December 2020. “California Offshore Wind: Winding Up for Economic Growth & Environmental Equity.” https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f434962cbc7a227a863c879/t/5fd959830384a13720d3d61e/1608079766544/Brightline-OffshoreWind-Report-12-6-2020.pdf
14. Call Matters. March 2021. “California could lead the nation in offshore wind energy.” https://calmatters.org/commentary/my-turn/2021/03/california-could-lead-the-nation-in-offshore-wind-energy/
15. IEA. May 2021. “Net Zero by 2050: A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector.” https://www.iea.org/reports/net-zero-by-2050
16. Lexology. April 2021. “Offshore wind can meet 90% of US energy demand by 2050 says study.” https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=66443b67-2e7d-4290-9ae4-ae4d9f7da5a9