Abstract
This projects purpose is to discuss the process for mitigating the removal of historic structures or buildings found eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), using the Humboldt Bay Power Plant (HBPP) as a case study. The present author wrote a report in the style of a Historic American Engineering Record (hereafter referred to as HAER) as well as designed and wrote the book found in the appendix of this report, entitled “From Sawdust to Nuclear Fuel: The History of Electrical Power Generation in Humboldt County and Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s Humboldt Bay Power Plant, 1883-2015.” HBPP was determined significant because of Unit 3, its nuclear powered plant, was the first commercially viable, privately funded nuclear power plant in the world built to supply Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) customers with electricity. Later commercial nuclear power plants integrated HBPP’s innovative engineering, design, and construction into their systems. This project includes an overview of National and California energy practices leading up to the 1960s, a history of commercial nuclear electric generation, and the development and history of electrical generation in Humboldt County. The author consulted a variety of sources in researching and writing this project. They include books on the history of the National and California energy policies and practices, commercial nuclear energy, the “Atomic Age,” and Humboldt County. The author also consulted a variety of technical documents, journal and newspaper articles, interviews, and manuals for recording historic resources.