Environmental Assessment

The Environmental Impact Assessment allows us to understand any potential impacts from the Project on communities or the onshore and offshore environment and to identify how these impacts could be avoided or reduced. The assessment will consider visual impact, water quality, coastal processes, and other environmental impacts. It will also consider the traffic impact during the construction and operational phases. We will share the initial findings during our consultations and this will give you the opportunity to provide your view.

Up until this year, the California State Lands Commission and the Vandenberg Space Force Base had planned to conduct a joint environmental review of CADEMO under the State California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Federal National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

However, now that the NEPA permitting process for offshore wind has halted (and as a consequence, the VSFB permitting activities), the project will now focus solely on permitting through CEQA.

In addition, the local state recognized Santa Ynez Chumash Tribe has applied for an Indigenous Marine Protection Area that will encompass the project area and cable route to shore, creating a viable entity to permit the project.

Environmental Research

CADEMO will present the first opportunity to monitor construction, undertake post-installation monitoring and understand operations and maintenance activities for floating offshore wind along the West Coast.

The small scale of the project and its proximity to shore make it more feasible to access and learn from this first offshore wind installation on the US West Coast, providing valuable insights into environmental interactions ahead of the future rollout of large commercial offshore wind projects in the region.

Currently, little or no research has been conducted on the interactions between offshore wind turbines and fish, bird, and marine mammal species indigenous to the West Coast, presenting a unique opportunity as a research platform to test mitigation actions at a scale that poses minimal risk to habitats and species.

Additionally, project plans include working with the Santa Ynez Chumash Oceanographic Institute to collect and analyze environmental information. This collaboration will incorporate Indigenous knowledge and perspectives, enhancing the quality and relevance of environmental monitoring.