Press release from the Yurok Tribe:

Yurok Vice Chair Frankie Myers | Submitted

The Yurok Tribe is the first sovereign tribal government to become a member of the Redwood Coast Energy Authority.

“We joined RCEA because its mission to implement initiatives that increase access to affordable, clean energy aligns with our core values,” said Yurok Vice Chairman Frankie Myers. “As an RCEA member, the Tribe will be able to participate at the government-to-government level in the planning and development of long-term renewable energy projects. We strongly believe the transition to sustainable energy sources is essential to the long-term health and prosperity of our community.”

“It is exciting to have the Yurok Tribe joining RCEA,” said RCEA Executive Director Matthew Marshall. “Over RCEA’s 20 years of serving Humboldt County we’ve worked with the Tribe on many projects, and we are very much looking forward to building on that relationship and having Tribal representation on our governing board.”

RCEA’s Board of Directors and the Yurok Tribal Council passed separate resolutions approving a joint powers agreement, which made the Tribe an agency member. “The Yurok Tribe wishes to provide input on the development of secure, sustainable, clean, and affordable energy resources, and participate as a stakeholder,” according to the Yurok resolution.

The Redwood Coast Energy Authority is a local government Joint Powers Agency. The agency was established to develop and implement sustainable energy initiatives that reduce energy demand, increase energy efficiency, and advance the use of clean, efficient and renewable resources available in the region.  RCEA members include: the County of Humboldt; the Cities of Arcata, Blue Lake, Eureka, Ferndale, Fortuna, Rio Dell, and Trinidad; and the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District and the Yurok Tribe.

Yurok Vice Chairman Frankie Myers will represent the Tribe on the RCEA’s Board of Directors. Vice Chairman Myers has decades of experience in natural resources management, community development and cultural preservation. In addition to serving on the Yurok Tribal Council, he is the president of the Prey-go-neesh Construction Corporation, which performs infrastructure-building projects all over the United States. He is also leading the Tribe’s effort to equitably engage in the prospective floating offshore wind energy projects along California’s North Coast.

Last December, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) auctioned the development rights to 130,000 acres off the Humboldt coast for offshore wind energy production. Earlier this month, the Yurok Tribe, Cal Poly Humboldt and College of the Redwoods announced plans to prepare a local workforce to take advantage of future jobs in the new industry. This unique collaboration provides potential floating offshore wind developers an opportunity to support local workforce training.