California Democrats are pushing an unproven technology at the expense of taxpayers

California is going all in on unproven offshore wind farm technology to help “solve” California’s energy crisis. It sounds good in theory, as wind farms are billed as “clean energy,” but the technology is lagging and it doesn’t make economic sense.

Meanwhile, the California Coastal Commission faces the nearly impossible task of figuring out what the massive wind turbines the size of a football field will do to marine life off our state’s pristine shores.

Democrats are gearing up to commit billions of dollars to this shaky proposition at the same time the state is projected to be in budget deficits for the foreseeable future. I’m an environmentalist and always have been, but my responsibilities as a legislator also include looking out for taxpayers — and they should be ready for a massive sales pitch coming their way later this year.

This won’t be cheap. There’s a bill to put a $1 billion bond measure on the ballot to pay for expanding ports, which comes on top of two other bills, each seeking to put nearly $16 billion in bonds on the ballot seeking to sell voters on the dubious idea of wind farms.

On top of this, just last year legislators authorized the Department of Water Resources to buy wind power and pass the costs onto the consumer. If that wasn’t financially troublesome enough, taxpayers risk being on the hook to compensate any people or groups negatively impacted by offshore wind power. This all means that electricity is going to get even more expensive in California.

Here is what Californians need to know about this technology: CalMatters has reported that, “potential environmental impacts won’t be understood until they are already constructed and operating. And communities and tribes in the North Coast and Central Coast worry that the pace is so fast and the projects so massive that their local economies and environment are at risk.”

Each offshore turbine needs to be sited, permitted and constructed. Connections to the mainland are necessary, and ports will need infrastructure and workforce in place to manage procuring, transmitting and distributing the power.

We have none of that, yet lease agreements for ocean waters that could house up to 1,400 turbines off California’s Central and North Coasts are inked.

This is going to run roughshod over the marine and coastal environment, potentially affecting whales, fisheries, tribes and communities, butwe don’t know exactly by how much because we have no means of figuring that out yet.

Environmental groups are strangely silent. The governor wants it, so process be damned.

Offshore wind farms can work, and they’re currently operating off the East Coast. However, the shallower Atlantic coast waters allow the use of fixed-bottom turbines. Pacific Coast waters are far deeper, mandating a need to use floating turbines with much deeper tethers to the ocean floor than are currently developed.

The private sector isn’t racing to invest in floating wind turbines off California’s coast. At the state’s initial lease auction in late 2022, five lease areas covering more than 370,000 acres were sold, but at prices 75% less than the average value of Atlantic lease sales earlier the same year. 

Why? The hard truth is that California Democrats are pushing an unproven technology at the expense of ratepayers and taxpayers who will inevitably be stuck with the bill. That simply doesn’t make sense.

When contemplating new technologies or new energy sources, like a wind farm, we must take the time to get it right. California legislators must slow down and reach out. A collaborative approach is needed to utilize  collaborative decision-making with local tribes, fishermen, councils and stakeholders. Only then is an evidence-based approach possible based on science.

Brian Dahle is the California State Senator for District 1.