The Tribune Subscription
A key gatekeeper with the U.S. Navy says they are ready to move forward on plans for offshore wind along the Central Coast — particularly efforts to install floating turbines off of Morro Bay.
Navy encroachment program director Steve Chung says a new collaboration launched last summer that included himself, Assistant Secretary of Defense Robert McMahon and the chair the California Energy Commission (CEC) has been working with local legislative leaders led by Congressman Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, on a monthly basis since.
Related Story: The Future of Wind Turbines? No Blades
The working group is tasked to find a way to identify locations for offshore wind in federal waters off the Central Coast, despite serious misgivings from the Navy.
Chung has been adamant in the past that the Navy could not support virtually any project that sought to set up in its wind exclusion zone where it has operations. Still, Chung agreed in the last year to ”keep talking.”
Read More →