State and local leaders are calling the Trump administration’s cancellation of $34 million in federal funds for a Salem port project to support offshore wind a blow to local jobs and the economy. The announcement last week by federal officials is the latest move to halt the growing wind industry in New England and other parts of the country.
The terminal in Salem Harbor was slated to become the first pier in the state capable of staging parts for floating wind turbines. It was expected to cost $300 million, funded through a combination of state, federal and private sources.
“This isn’t just a wind project, it was an investment in our residents. And so it’s a huge gut punch,” said Bonnie Bain, executive director of the nonprofit Salem Alliance for the Environment, which has advocated for years to revitalize the city’s port and is a partner on the wind terminal project.
Bain said she was excited for the role that Salem’s port would play in the transition from fossil fuels to cleaner sources of energy, and so were many of the city’s residents.
“We brought people together,” Bain said. “So all that work, all that investment and time and energy and community building is just gone overnight.”
Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo’s office said the project’s developer, Crowley Wind Services, had secured all necessary permits and was about to select a contractor. Construction was expected to begin before the end of the year.
Crowley Wind Services did not respond to WBUR’s requests for comment for this story.
Pangallo said in a statement that the Trump administration’s move will have “serious implications” for the city. He said the city will explore legal options to keep the project going.
“This project was set to transform 42.3 acres of vacant land into a heavy-lift port for marine industries, which would have generated hundreds of jobs and provided a boost to our economy,” Pangallo said.
The federal funding was among $679 million for projects across the country clawed back by the U.S. Department of Transportation. In a statement announcing the cancellation, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the agency is prioritizing “real infrastructure improvements” over costly “fantasy wind projects.”
“Wasteful, wind projects are using resources that could otherwise go towards revitalizing America’s maritime industry,” Duffy said.
Massachusetts state Sen. Joan Lovely, a Salem Democrat, told WBUR in an email that she’s disappointed by the termination of funds for the project.
“This is a major setback for the Commonwealth’s climate goals and will also take away hundreds of jobs and positive economic impacts for our region,” she said.
Gov. Maura Healey said 800 construction workers will lose their jobs as a result of the funding cancellation.
“The real waste here is the Trump administration canceling tens of millions of dollars for a project that is already underway to increase our energy supply and support hundreds of workers and their families,” she said in a statement.
Speaking at a Labor Day rally on Monday, U.S. Sen. Ed Markey said he expects the courts will rule against the president’s attempts to cancel wind projects.
Last week, federal officials issued an immediate stop-work order for Revolution Wind, a project off the coast of Rhode Island that was slated to provide power to Rhode Island and Connecticut, citing unspecified security concerns. The wind farm was 80% complete, according to state officials.
“I think the projects that are already underway, including ones all around New England, are going to be upheld as an improper exercise of executive authority in canceling them as they’re nearing conclusion,” Markey said.
On Monday, five Northeast governors, including Healey, called for construction to continue on offshore wind energy projects in the region. They said in a statement that these projects represent years of planning, billions of dollars in private investment and tens of thousands of future jobs.
“They are revitalizing our ports, strengthening our supply chains, and ensuring that America — not our competitors — leads in clean energy manufacturing and innovation,” the governors wrote.
Bain, with the Salem Alliance for the Environment, said the nonprofit won’t back down from the project and remains convinced it will be good for residents.
“ We know that this is what’s best for our energy infrastructure and for our community investments,” she said. “We can’t not fight for those things.”
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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