We ran PG&E Wave Energy out of Fort Bragg

[NoyoJim]

I ran into Ian Caliendo, PG&E's director of government relations, at the Humboldt Area Saltwater Anglers dinner last Saturday night in Eureka. He told me he had some news and that I was the first person he was able to tell about it.

He said that PG&E had decided to withdraw its application for wave energy machines in the ocean off Noyo Harbor. They had done some "engineering studies" and discovered the harbor channel and port facilities were not able to handle the project.

We had told them that years ago.

On Monday, PG&E had a planned meeting with our Ft. Bragg wave energy steering committee (local governments, fishermen, conservationists and members of the public) and told them the same thing Ian told me.

Beth Mitchell asked if we could see the "engineering studies." PG&E said they weren't "ready for public distribution."

We suspected there were no engineering studies, but rather the local opposition to the project was more than PG&E could deal with.

They are not going to say they were run out of town by a ragtag band of fishermen, conservation groups, and local officials, but that's what happened.

There is a lot of talk among these same local groups about another foreign invader to the north coast: the MLPA process. Local conservation groups are not on board with the MLPA KoolAid train.

[arch]

just found online that there is two permits open/filed in the area of Fort Ross and one at Del Mar Landing...which is off the North end of The Sea Ranch.

[zimo]

From reading about wave energy it is an extremely costly project. Most of those guys are fishing for public subsidies to get them going. Any opposition to their pipe dream seems to do them in time.Currently wave energy is 10 times costlier than conventional electricity. Majority of scientist currently preffer solar energy as an alternitive clean source . Wave energy would be a mess on our coastal waters.