The environmental resources of Humboldt Bay are priceless. As the second largest estuary in the state, it is also one of the most pristine and diverse on the West Coast. The proposed LNG facility would come at a great expense to this important ecosystem, causing air and water pollution, damaging sensitive habitat, and otherwise causing impacts that ultimately degrade the quality of life for residents in the area.
Aside from the potential for an LNG catastrophe, an LNG facility would also guarantee serious damage to coastal resources and the environment. Of primary concern is that the facility would involve further dredging in Humboldt Bay, but it would also increase toxic air and water pollution and create a visual blight.
The channel of Humboldt Bay was deepened and widened in 1999, but it is still not large enough to accommodate massive LNG tankers. Negative impacts from the last dredging operations are now evident, with bank erosion accelerating and shorelines rapidly disappearing. Dredging the channel to make it deeper and wider still would have tremendous repercussions for Humboldt Bay, altering its hydrology, stirring up contaminated sediments, and causing other problems that impact fish and wildlife.
