CA offshore wind gets a boost as federal moratorium struck down
This spring, lawmakers and community members toured the port, where Humboldt Bay is building a heavy-lift marine terminal to service the offshore wind industry. Photo: Alex Cornell du Houx, EOPA
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Dec 12, 2025
Groups that promote offshore wind power are hopeful that a big win in court will convince the federal government to consider permitting new projects.
This week, a federal judge struck down President Donald Trump’s day-one executive order that halted all offshore wind approvals and argued that the Biden administration unfairly favored renewable energy over oil and gas.
“Now each individual project is still going to have to continue the route it’s on,” said Benjamin Collings, offshore wind advisor for the nonprofit Elected Officials to Protect America. “For example, projects like in the Port of Humboldt, they can continue without being permanently stopped, which the White House was trying to do.”
California has five offshore wind projects in development: two off of Humboldt Bay and three off the coast of Morro Bay. Companies are doing environmental studies as they prepare to apply for state permits.
Hope for Maine energy workers as court gives wind projects green light
The construction of wind projects in the Gulf of Maine has the potential to create thousands of good-paying jobs and deliver millions of dollars in community benefits to local towns, struggling with their municipal budgets, according to the Maine Labor Climate Council. (Adobe Stock)
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Dec 22, 2025
Unionized laborers in Maine said they are ready to get to work after a federal judge ruled President Donald Trump’s executive order halting the permitting process for new offshore wind projects was unlawful.
A coalition of attorneys general challenged the order as workers, who invested in specialized training on wind turbines, soon found themselves out of good-paying jobs.
Chad Ward, member of Ironworkers Local 7 from Thorndike, said he has been commuting to Virginia as work dried up in Maine. “We have the workforce ready and willing to go do this,” Ward pointed out. “It would mean the world to me to work in my home state.” Ward added he is missing important family events and even Christmas to work elsewhere. Clean energy backers said they hope the ruling means stalled projects in Maine will now resume, including construction of a port on Sears Island. The Trump administration argued wind energy is unreliable and has steered federal investments toward domestic fossil fuels.
Leaders across CA support offshore wind despite Trump opposition
A group of elected officials, union members and climate activists toured the San Luis Obispo port, which could be expanded to accommodate offshore wind projects. (Elected Officials to Protect America)
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Oct 14, 2025
Elected officials, labor unions and grassroots groups recently gathered in San Luis Obispo to show their support for offshore wind energy, even though the Trump administration has moved to reevaluate offshore wind leases and has pulled hundreds of millions in federal funding.
California voters approved a climate bond to upgrade port infrastructure in Morro Bay and Humboldt to be ready to accept energy from offshore wind turbines in the future.
Mark Simonin, business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 639, said floating offshore wind carries a lot of economic potential. “There will be operation and maintenance; there will be small manufacturing, warehousing,” Simonin outlined. “There’s going to be multiple jobs through multiple sectors. So, it will be a real positive impact for the working-class folks.”
But the Trump administration has focused its efforts on boosting the oil and gas industry and has reversed many Biden-era renewable energy programs. More than 250 elected officials across California have signed a letter supporting the responsible buildout of offshore wind, in order to help the state reach its goal of transitioning to 100% renewable energy and become carbon-neutral by 2045.
Susan Callery, offshore wind lead for the Slow Climate Coalition, is a former Poway city council member and the retired manager of NASA’s now-defunct climate website. “I have two grandkids, and every time I look at them, I just wonder what kind of world they’re going to grow up in,” Callery explained. “I’m very worried about the consequences of climate change, especially since CO2 emissions keep growing every year.”
Federal clean-energy cuts stalling economic growth in Michigan and across the nation
The U.S. clean-energy workforce now totals more than 3.5 million jobs across sectors such as renewables, energy efficiency, grid modernization and clean vehicles. (Media Lens King/Adobe Stock)
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December 16, 2025
Communities across Michigan said promised federal investments tied to clean energy and economic development are disappearing, along with thousands of jobs.
Clean energy advocacy group Climate Power estimated more than 64,000 clean energy jobs nationwide have been lost or stalled, as federally approved grants, loans and incentives have been pulled back.
Gary Schlack, a city council member in Allen Park and a National Guard veteran, said Michigan communities are feeling the fallout firsthand. “The auto industry is unfairly treated by policies coming out of Washington, D.C.,” Schlack contended. “It’s not just happening in Detroit but it’s something you see around places, such as the battery startup in Holland just shut down and laid off dozens of workers. It’s impacting all of us here in Michigan.”
A planned $210 million EV battery plant in Detroit was canceled this fall, costing an estimated 600 union jobs. Other battery startups in the western part of the state were also shut down. In response, federal officials said the funding cuts are part of a broader effort to rein in federal spending and refocus energy policy on market-driven solutions rather than government subsidies.
Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency pulled back a $20 million congressionally approved grant for Benton Harbor, halting plans for solar projects, job and literacy training and a warming and cooling center.
Marcus Muhammad, mayor of Benton Harbor, argued the money should be approved. “It’s a travesty of justice, because those funds were allocated by the Congress,” Muhammad pointed out. “It was a bill that was passed, signed by the previous president and clawed back by the Environmental Protection Agency.”
Report: ‘Clean’ transportation brings big benefits to CA
According to the report, the total number of public EV charging ports between 2021 and the first quarter of 2025 nearly tripled, from 75,000 to 208,000. (Southworks/Adobe Stock)
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Oct 14, 2025
Clean transportation projects in California and across the country are paying off, according to a new report. The research firm Atlas Public Policy analyzed the benefits of the Biden era Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The report cited California’s Port of Oakland, which is updating its aging equipment and reducing air pollution with a $322 million grant through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Ports program.
Matt Davis, chief public engagement officer for the Port of Oakland, said the money will fund zero-emissions cargo handling machinery and electric trucks for cargo deliveries. “This provides local benefits through reduction of pollutants but it also introduces a high degree of technical modernization and reliability,” Davis explained. “Because some of these pieces of equipment just have a lot less moving parts, frankly, that don’t require as much maintenance.”
Davis pointed out neighboring states will also benefit as the port reduces its greenhouse gas emissions.
Tina Hodges, senior policy analyst for Atlas, pointed to the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program, funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The report showed by the end of last year, nearly 60% of the nation’s busiest highway corridors had fast-charging stations for electric vehicles every 50 miles or more, up from 38% in 2020.
Hodges said it is just one example of the upsides of investments. “We found large benefits with cleaner air, new manufacturing jobs and transportation benefits, affordable ways to get around,” Hodges outlined.
New data: L.A. ranks 8th worldwide for greenhouse gas emissions
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Oct 19, 2025
The pollution map of the greater Los Angeles Area shows high concentrations in the ports of L.A. and Long Beach, and in the warehouse districts of the Inland Empire. (Climate TRACE)
Los Angeles now has the dubious distinction of ranking eighth in the world for the production of greenhouse gas emissions. It falls behind New York, Houston, Tokyo, Seoul, and three major cities in China. Climate TRACE uses satellites and artificial intelligence to map plumes of pollution coming from so-called “super emitters” like the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
Lekha Sridhar, senior policy analyst for the environmental nonprofit WattTime, who helped develop the tool, said people should realize climate and air pollution are the same fight.
“It’s the same types of sources that are causing both the issues, they are connected,” Sridhar explained. “Many of these health-harming pollutants are coming from facilities that are located in, or near, our cities.”
Overall, the U.S. is the second-largest emitter of carbon in the world, falling behind China. Data show the U.S. is not slowing down on emissions. Since last summer, carbon emissions in the U.S. went up by almost 8 million tons, a 1.3 % increase.
Creating energy for Indigenous Arizonans with micro-grid tech
The Hopi Reservation in Northern Arizona is about 1.5 million acres in size, and comprises 12 villages. (Adobe Stock)
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Oct 12, 2025
Researchers at Arizona State University are creating reliable sources of renewable energy on the Hopi Reservation, and say the project could serve as a model for other rural areas.
Alternative energy experts are creating a solar-powered micro grid to bring renewable and consistent power to a remote part of the state that, for generations, hasn’t had a lot of it.
Jacob Moore, an ASU vice president and special adviser on the project, said they’re helping people living in pueblo villages that are among the longest inhabited places in North America.
“Very much living off the grid, so to speak,” said Moore. “But opportunities in terms of economic development, education, health care – things where electricity is important in terms of helping, you know, the sustainability of these communities going forward.”
Report: Wind manufacturing to create jobs in Appalachian Pennsylvania
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Oct 6, 2025
The report estimates that about 2,200 manufacturing jobs for equipment and components could be added across the region, offering a boost to the once heavily industrial Pittsburgh area. (Martin Barraud/KOTO/Adobe Stock)
An estimated 22,000 jobs in the wind-manufacturing industry could be created in Appalachian Pennsylvania and neighboring states in the coming decades, according to a new report from ReImagine Appalachia.
Wind and solar projects made up 96% of new electric capacity nationwide through the first half of this year.
Michael Shields, economist for ReImagine Appalachia, said the region’s existing skilled workers, manufacturing history and unique geography could make the Keystone State a key player. “That doesn’t mean that Appalachia has to lose its place as a driving force behind energy production in the U.S.,” Shields explained. “We find that through opportunities for Appalachian communities to participate in manufacturing for the new energy economy.”
Arizona lawmakers call on Washington to restore clean energy cuts
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Sep 23, 2025
Policymakers and community leaders in Arizona are calling on Congress to restore alternative energy tax incentives stripped in the federal budget reconciliation bill.
The sun shines at least 300 days a year in Arizona, making it a perfect place to invest in solar energy. Solar advocates want federal lawmakers to allow state residents to take advantage of the green power source.
Rep. Aaron Márquez, D-Phoenix, said stripping incentives for solar power threatens the security and economic success of Arizona families. “The Pentagon calls it a ‘threat multiplier,’” Márquez pointed out. “Because rising heat and scarce resources drive conflict and instability around the world, and here at home, Arizonans have the right to clean air, safe water and protection from extreme weather.”
Marquez is part of a group called Elected Officials to Protect America, which advocates for environmental protections. The group contended solar power and battery storage technology are cheaper and more environmentally friendly than traditional fuel sources.
When Congress rescinded alternative energy tax incentives in its budget reconciliation bill, Arizona lost a $156 million grant to invest in solar projects. Sen. Lauren Kuby, D-Tempe, said it will hinder the state’s ability to meet its clean energy goals, and using fossil fuels to generate power will fall directly on consumers. “The decision makes no sense, because energy efficiency is one of the cheapest forms of energy,” Kuby asserted. “It’s one of the most effective tools to reduce demand and save money for ratepayers. It’s been shown, proven, that for every dollar we invest in energy efficiency, we get back $4.”