Climate Action Plan
Support county wide emission reductions
In parallel with RCEA’s RePower Humboldt planning, the County of Humboldt and the seven cities within its boundaries are developing a 2040 Climate Action Plan (CAP) to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions throughout the region. This multi-jurisdictional plan will explore ways to reduce emissions while empowering local businesses and improving the health of our communities. Baseline emissions levels were informed by 2015 greenhouse gas emissions inventories RCEA completed for each jurisdiction.
Together the CAP and CAPE will determine the steps necessary to achieve a resilient and decarbonized future for Humboldt County.
View the County’s Draft Climate Action Plan
Regional Readiness Planning
The Redwood Coast Energy Authority promotes the adoption of electric vehicles in our region and actively seeks funds to plan, implement, and manage electric vehicle public charging infrastructure. We have partnered with the California Energy Commission on several planning projects with the goal of increasing clean transportation in our region. Listed below are details about RCEA’s completed and current low-carbon fuel planning projects.
Alternative Fuel Readiness
The Alternative Fuels Readiness Project developed a readiness plan for five rural counties in northwest California (Del Norte, Siskiyou, Humboldt, Trinity, and Mendocino) that provides strategies for the deployment of alternative fuel infrastructure and identifies activities to encourage the adoption of alternative fuel vehicles in the region. Follow the link to view the Northwest California Alternative Fuels Readiness Plan (PDF).
Electric Vehicle Readiness
RCEA and project partners published the North Coast Plug-in Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan in July 2014. The plan represented a coordinated and collaborative effort to plan for and promote EV readiness in Humboldt County and the greater North Coast region. Use the following link to view the North Coast Plug-in Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan (PDF).
Fuel Cell Readiness
The goal of the North Coast and Upstate Fuel Cell Vehicle Readiness Project was to build on the efforts of the Northwest California Alternative Fuels Readiness Project. This project supported the successful introduction of fuel cell vehicles throughout the eight-county North Coast and Upstate regions by catalyzing a regional fuel cell vehicle market and planning for the deployment of hydrogen fueling infrastructure. Click to view the Regional Hydrogen Infrastructure Plan (PDF).
Zero Emission Vehicle Implementation
Following the completion of the North Coast PEV Readiness Plan, RCEA received funding to implement the plan. Phase 1 of plan implementation was completed in April 2017. View the North Coast Plug-in Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan Implementation (PDF). Phase 2 of plan implementation was completed in November 2019. View the North Coast PEV Readiness Plan Implementation: Phase 2 (PDF). Examples of implementation activities include streamlining permitting processes for charging stations, consulting with potential site hosts to accelerate charging station installs, completing fleet analyses to accelerate fleet adoption of EVs, and hosting ride-and-drives to increase public awareness about EV models on the market.
Reference Documents
Comments
Presentations
RePower Humboldt
The comprehensive action plan for energy.
RCEA’s guiding strategic document is RePower Humboldt (previously referred to as the Comprehensive Action Plan for Energy, the CAPE). It was adopted in 2012 and updated in 2019. We are leaving the planning details here for anyone who would like to review the process we used, but the strategic plan update has been completed. We are now focusing on the implementation of the plan.
Comments and questions from the public: (Click on blue sections)
Response: RCEA supports development of distributed and utility scale solar in the county with our long-term power procurement, Net Energy Metering, Public Agency Solar, and Feed-in Tariff programs, and through development of the Redwood Coast Airport Microgrid, which once built will be the largest solar array on the North Coast. While solar energy will continue to be an important part of our power mix, several factors make it unrealistic to source all of our power from solar:
1) solar generates in the middle of the day, while our electricity demand picks up in the evening, which currently causes major issues for the state’s grid operators;
2) time-of-generation issues aside, thousands of acres of solar panels would be needed to generate enough electricity to meet our full demand (while many rooftops and parking lots are suitable for solar siting, the cost of rooftop solar is much higher than contiguous arrays);
3) batteries and other storage mechanisms are currently cost prohibitive to provide our entire nighttime/winter electricity supply. We are also mindful of the potential environmental impacts associated with large-scale materials sourcing, manufacturing, deployment, and end-of-life reprocessing of batteries. According to one source, only 3% of lithium-ion batteries are currently being recycled globally.
Response: The RePower Humboldt strategic plan published in 2013 showed that Humboldt County has hundreds of megawatts of untapped renewable energy potential from a variety of sources, including solar, wind, wave, and biomass. With a population of less than 140,000 and a limited industrial base, electric loads in Humboldt are small. In contrast, California’s urban counties have much larger loads and little potential for renewable energy generation other than rooftop solar. For example, in 2018 San Francisco consumed seven times as much electricity as Humboldt County, and Los Angeles County used 85 times what we did. If California as a whole is to meet its renewable energy and greenhouse gas reduction goals, resource-rich counties like Humboldt will need to export a portion of their energy wealth to these urban load centers.
Additional comments specific to onshore wind and biomass can be found on the Power Resources page.
Click on blue sections for meeting details:
Comprehensive Action Plan for Energy Activity
Redwood Coast Energy Authority Board of Directors meeting:
- June 27 – First draft of CAPE update presented to Board
- Located at the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District Office, 828 Seventh St., Eureka. Board agenda can be found on the Board of Directors page.
Climate Action Plan Activity
- June 4 – Southern Humboldt Community Workshop
- Tuesday, 6/4 from 6-7:30 PM at Redway Elementary School, 344 Humboldt Ave., Redway.
- June 12 – McKinleyville Community Workshop
- Wednesday 6/12 from 6-7:30 PM at Azalea Hall, 1620 Pickett Rd
- June 18 – Willow Creek Community Services Workshop
- Tuesday 6/18 from 6-7:30 PM at the Willow Creek CSD Office, 135 Willow Rd.
CAPE ACTIVITIES:
- July 9 – Present community engagement plan to Community Advisory Committee. RCEA office, 6-7:30 pm.
- July 25 – Present community engagement plan to RCEA Board of Directors at 3:30 pm, Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District Office, 828 Seventh St., Eureka.
Thursday, August 29 – Draft 1 CAPE Workshop, 5:30-7:30pm at the Aquatic Center in Eureka. 921 Waterfront Drive. Refreshments will be provided.
Comprehensive Action Plan for Energy Activity
- Tuesday, September 3 – Draft 1 CAPE Workshop, Orleans. 5:30-7:30 p.m. Panamnik Building, 38150 Highway 96
- Thursday, September 5 – Draft 1 CAPE Workshop, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Redway Elementary School, 344 Humboldt Ave.
- Wednesday, September 25 – Offshore Wind Project Workshop, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Wharfinger Building, 1 Marina Way, Eureka
- Thursday, September 26 – RCEA Board of Directors meeting. 3:30 p.m. at the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District Office, 828 Seventh St., Eureka
- Thursday, October 17 – Draft 2 CAPE Workshop. 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Aquatic Center in Eureka. 921 Waterfront Drive (agenda(PNG))
- Friday, October 18 – Forests, Energy and the Environment (biomass power focus) 1-4 p.m. at the Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center. 921 Waterfront Drive, Eureka. (agenda(PNG)) (slides(PDF))
- Thursday, October 24 – RCEA Board of Directors meeting. 3:30 p.m. at the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District Office, 828 Seventh St., Eureka (board packet(PDF))
- Tuesday, October 29 – CANCELLED– Community Advisory Committee reviews the CAPE, 6 p.m. (agenda(PDF))
- Tuesday, November 12 – RESCHEDULED- Community Advisory Committee reviews the CAPE, 6 p.m. at the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District Office, 828 Seventh St., Eureka
- Thursday, November 21 – RCEA Board reviews the CAPE at 3:30 p.m. at the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District Office, 828 Seventh St., Eureka
- Thursday, December 19 – RCEA Board reviews final draft of the CAPE and votes on approval at 3:30 p.m. at the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District Office, 828 Seventh St., Eureka
Draft #2 CAPE Workshop
RePower Humboldt/Comprehensive Action Plan for Energy
Draft #2 incorporates public comments and input from Draft #1
October 17, 2019 5:30-7 pm
Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center in Eureka
Press coverage
Forests, Energy and the Environment
RePower Humboldt/Comprehensive Action Plan for Energy
October 18, 2019 1-4 pm
Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center in Eureka
Forestry, Energy and the Environment Panel participants:
- Michael Furniss – Moderator, Consultant to RCEA
- Yana Valachovic – County Director and Forest Advisor, UC Extension
- Kevin Fingerman – Assistant Professor, Energy & the Environment, Humboldt State University
- Jason Davis – Deputy Air Pollution Control Officer, North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District
- Richard Engel – Director Power Resources, Redwood Coast Energy Authority
- Angie Lottes – Assistant Deputy Director for Climate & Energy, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
- Dan Chandler – Member 350.org
- Adam Steinbuck – Director, Fiber and Freight, Humboldt Redwoods Company, LLC
Facilitation by Ali Lee
Biomass Power in Humboldt County (PDF)
Brief Summary of Workshops, Consultations, and Research
Prepared by Michael J Furniss
Climate and Forests Consultant to RCEA
October, 2021
Additional sources via Michael Furniss:
Forest Management and Climate Change – Michael J Furniss, HSU class
Climate Change and Land Use – Michael J Furniss, HSU class
Let’s Fill Our Cities With Taller, Wooden Buildings – New York Times
Beneficial Uses of Woody Biomass from Wildfire Mitigation in California – YouTube video
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