EcoNews Report

EcoNews Report: What's the future of offshore wind?

By Scott Greacen,

Alicia Hamann, Jennifer Kalt, Tom Wheeler

Published August 27, 2026 at 10:14 AM PDT

Image from the U.S. Department of Energy

Recently the German Offshore Wind developer RWE U.S. Offshore, which was slated to develop wind turbines off the coast of Humboldt County, sold its lease back to the Trump administration, part of the company relinquishing leases in New York, Louisiana and California. RWE said that it was determined there is "no path forward to permit these projects for the foreseeable future" and the company plans to shift to natural gas development in the U.S.

So, what does this mean for offshore wind plans? Environmental Attorney Matt Simmons and Jen Kalt of Humboldt Waterkeeper join the show to discuss.

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Scott Greacen

In addition to being a host on EcoNews Report, Scott Greacen is also Executive Director of Friends of the Eel River. Scott is a graduate of Reed College and Lewis and Clark Law School, and a member of the California bar. He has been active in the environmental movement since 1989.

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Alicia Hamann

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Jennifer Kalt

Jennifer Kalt is the Director of Humboldt Baykeeper, which works to safeguard coastal resources for the health, enjoyment, and economic strength of the Humboldt Bay community. The Baykeeper edition of the Northcoast Environmental Center's EcoNews Report airs on the third Thursday of the month, and features interviews of the many fascinating people involved in Humboldt Bay issues. For more info, visit humboldtbaykeeper.org.

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Tom Wheeler

Tom Wheeler is the Program Director and Staff Attorney at the Environmental Protection Information Center. Tom graduated from the University of Washington School of Law with a concentration in Environmental Law. When he’s not nerding out over the Endangered Species Act (his all-time favorite law), Tom is probably plunking the banjo, playing ping-pong with his wife, Jenna, or petting his cats, Fatty and Trim. Tom can be reached at tom@wildcalifornia.org.

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