Mayor Jon Mitchell praised Governor Deval Patrick, Senator Mark C.W. Montigny, Representative Antonio F.D. Cabral and the New Bedford legislative delegation for their efforts to enact into law Senate 2367 which was filed by Senator Montigny on July 20, 2012 and signed into law by Governor Patrick.
The Governor’s signing advances New Bedford’s South Terminal project by establishing a critical swap of City and State properties that will allow the project to comply with federal environmental permitting and industry requirements.
To open the way for the bill’s passage, Mayor Mitchell successfully sought City Council approval to transfer of ownership to the state of just over two acres of unrestricted City land on South Rodney French Boulevard for the construction of a Division of Marine Fisheries facility on the UMass Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology campus.
The land swap will enable the City to have control of the approximately three acres of land at the South Terminal site.
Mayor Mitchell, an advocate of the construction of South Terminal to support the offshore wind industry and unlock the City’s potential as a hub of international trade called the bill’s passage a “significant step forward” for the project which has made steady progress under the Patrick-Murray Administration.
“Governor Patrick, Lieutenant Governor Murray, Senator Montigny, Representative Cabral, and the entire New Bedford legislative delegation recognize the importance of this project to our City and the region. On behalf of the people of New Bedford I want to thank them all for their advocacy and leadership,” said Mayor Mitchell .
Senator Montigny said: “Fostering New Bedford’s emerging role as a leader in maritime related industries such as renewable industries such as renewable energy and cargo transportation is key to the City’s economic revival and the creation of hundreds of jobs for New Bedford area residents.
“ The land swap is truly a win-win situation. Not only were we able to secure the needed state land for the City but we also strengthened the relationship between UMass Dartmouth’s SMAST and the Division of Marine Fisheries. The area legislative delegation will continue to lead the effort for state financing of this project.”
“The South Terminal will bring enormous benefits to both the City of New Bedford and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, which is why today’s collaboration is so important,” said Rep. Cabral .
He continued: “This bill will unlock two of the most important jobs projects for our City and our region: the construction of South Terminal and the expansion of SMAST. There is much more work to be done to make these projects a reality, but today’s collaboration between New Bedford and the state was an important step.”
The Port of New Bedford has been selected for the development of a multi-use terminal which will serve as an assembly and staging facility for offshore wind turbines and will be utilized for commercial cargo, shipping, and other industrial activities.
Twenty-five percent of America’s wind reserves are located in the area just south of Martha’s Vineyard, and the U.S. Department of the Interior has designated the area for thousands of wind turbines that will power large swaths of the Northeast.
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Offshore WIND staff, August 14, 2012; Image: Port of New Bedford