The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors accepted a set of four documents and strategic recommendations on Dec. 9 that lay out workforce, supply‑chain and community engagement steps to prepare the Redwood Coast for potential floating offshore wind development.

Andy Logan of Exodus Group summarized the assessments, noting the team identified more than 130 organizations with a stake in offshore wind in the region and cataloged local capabilities in onshore construction, secondary steel fabrication, ports/logistics and survey services. Logan said the assessments modeled three development scenarios and estimated a peak local annual workforce demand of roughly 1,200 workers under a high‑localization scenario that included manufacturing and assembly jobs.

The reports recommend near‑term actions—appointing a dedicated offshore‑wind coordinator, establishing a regional task force, creating a regional business directory, and investing in targeted training and union outreach—to increase the county’s chances of capturing local economic benefits if projects proceed. The team also identified weaknesses: limited local manufacturing scale and uncertainty about federal policy and project timelines.

Board members and public commenters urged the county to use the federal pause in permitting momentum as an opportunity to plan. "This slowdown offers breathing room to do careful planning and research," said Katrina Oskarsen of the Redwood Region Climate and Community Resilience Hub. Several supervisors said the reports provide a useful roadmap and authorized staff to file and proceed with the strategic recommendations by unanimous consent.

Next steps: staff will pursue funding and coordination actions identified in the strategic recommendations, and a county development team will follow up on implementation details and community engagement steps.