An intergovernmental task force composed of state, federal, local and tribal officials met virtually on Sept. 18 to discuss the possibility of building offshore wind farms in two proposed areas along the southern Oregon coast. 

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, or BOEM, is working to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030 as part of the Biden administration’s climate policy.

To meet that goal, BOEM announced two draft “wind energy areas” off the Oregon coast near Coos Bay and Brookings where developers could bid for leases. A 60-day public comment period is now underway and runs through Oct. 16.

Members of the Oregon Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force raised questions about the prospects of offshore wind turbines during a four-hour virtual meeting, including potential harm to fisheries, tribal cultural resources, aquatic species and seabirds.

Leaders for BOEM explained how they analyzed data to arrive at the two areas, which cover a combined 343 square miles of ocean.

Elizabeth Klein, the agency’s director, said their goal was to find areas that held the greatest promise for harnessing wind energy while minimizing conflicts.

“We know the ocean is an incredibly important place to so many people and so many communities,” Klein said. “There is no square inch of the ocean that someone doesn’t care about.” 

Winnowing process

BOEM’s draft wind energy areas are within two larger “call areas” that were first identified in April 2022, spanning 872,854 acres off the coast near Coos Bay and another 286,444 acres off the coast near Brookings.

Over the last year, Klein said the agency winnowed down those call areas using spatial models that take into account national security, natural resources, industry and operations, fisheries and other logistics such as wind speed and distance to ports.

After analyzing more than 400 layers of data, BOEM shrank the areas by 81% to 219,568 total acres.

That is still large enough to build 2.6 gigawatts of wind energy, according to the agency, or enough electricity to power 1.95 million homes. 

Doug Boren, who heads up BOEM’s Pacific Region, said this is just the first step. If the draft wind energy areas are finalized, he said they will be subject to review under the National Environmental Policy Act and may be further reduced in size. Any specific project would also require NEPA study.

Impacts to fishing, seabirds

Several task force members questioned whether floating wind farms might damage coastal fisheries and the environment. 

Tillamook County Commissioner David Yamamoto said offshore wind turbines could prove to be devastating for Oregon’s fishing industry, displacing boats from highly productive grounds. Though the Coos Bay and Brookings areas are far south of Tillamook, he said vessels come from all over the coast chasing fish, shrimp and crab.

“Suddenly, you’re taking up a huge portion of the seafloor from fishing,” Yamamoto said. “That’s something I think we really need to be concerned about.” 

Yamamoto also pressed BOEM for answers about how many seabirds would be killed by flying into turbine blades. Unlike terrestrial wind farms, he said birds killed by offshore turbines are quickly swallowed by the ocean, never to be found. 

State Rep. Boomer Wright, R-Coos Bay, asked how turbines will be maintained to prevent oils and fluids from leaking into the ocean.

“The people who live on the coast of Oregon are a very resilient people,” Wright said. “We care about the viability of the environment of our coastal communities.” 

Wright said the promise of new jobs created by offshore wind is important to consider, but not at the expense of existing industries — namely fishing.

Tribal concerns

Northwest tribes urged BOEM to protect their fisheries and natural resources.

Julie Siestreem, a tribal councilor for the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, said that while she supports renewable energy development she has major concerns about what offshore wind will mean for fish, land and water. 

“I was born and raised here, and the ocean has been my mainstay my whole life,” Siestreem said. “Our tribe is a small tribe. We had a treaty written, but it was never honored … What we do have is a bank of highly trained and skilled staff members who are able to give good input, based on science, as far as the possible problems with the implementation, construction and creation of these wind farms.” 

Chad Bowechop, vice chairman of Makah Tribal Council in Washington, said they understand the urgency of climate change but remain concerned that offshore wind in Oregon could affect the migration patterns of fish and whales. 

BOEM needs to establish a “comprehensively coordinated approach” with tribes to ensure their treaty rights are upheld. Fishing supports the household incomes for 90% of the Makah Tribe, situated on the northwest tip of the Olympic Peninsula.

“There’s more work to do,” Bowechop said. 

Three additional in-person meetings are scheduled to discuss the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s “wind energy areas” in Oregon. 

Gold Beach

Tuesday, Sept. 26.

4-8 p.m.

Gold Beach Community Center (updated venue).

29841 Airport Way.

Coos Bay

Wednesday, Sept. 27.

4-8 p.m.

Coos Bay Public Library

525 Anderson Ave.

Brookings

Thursday, Sept. 28

4-8 p.m.

Southwest Oregon Community College.

96082 Lone Ranch Parkway.  

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