A major CASI panel event will explore the impacts of proposed massive offshore wind installations along our Central Coast. The State of California, with little public input, is suggesting over 3000 square kilometers of coastal waters be dedicated to a giant complex of wind turbines, which could reach heights of nearly 1000 feet. Similar offshore wind industries in the North Sea and New England coastal zone have led to unprecedented whale deaths and significant decline in fisheries.  The economics of offshore wind presage that our PGE rates will increase massively if the offshore turbine industry moves forward; that is presaged by the enormous maintenance costs in the UK leading to skyrocketing of electricity costs across Britain.

California Arts and Sciences Institute has assembled an elite panel of experts to address our Central Coast concerns. Dr. David Henderson, leading U.S. economist, will speak to economic impacts, including possible adverse outcomes to California utility customers. Dr. Michael Hogan, early researcher in cetacean communications, will analyze likely declines in our whale populations. Nicole Dorfman, a leader in Central Coast environmental affairs, will speak to expected industrialization to our scenic coastal communities and decline in fishery revenues. Nationally syndicated radio broadcaster Edward King will moderate the panel.

* Dead Humpback Whale on Lido Beach, NY, near offshore wind operations on Jan 28, 2023. @ EPA