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Jim Mulloy and Betsy Frederick are the co-chairs of the Salem Alliance for the Environment in Salem, Massachusetts. Amy Eshoo is the director of Maine Climate Action NOW!
With the federal government’s plans on track to issue the first-ever commercial offshore wind leases in the Gulf of Maine this fall, it’s clear that offshore wind is coming to Maine, where it could reduce price volatility and increase grid reliability while saving New Englanders money with a home-grown energy source right off our shores.
Offshore wind could also be an economic gamechanger — with high-quality union jobs in manufacturing, construction, logistics, maintenance, and maritime trades — especially for New England’s port communities that have been hit hard by decades of outsourcing and job loss.
Already, offshore wind investments are revitalizing ports in New London, Connecticut, and New Bedford, Massachusetts. And in Salem, Massachusetts, the deepwater port will be transformed into the Salem Offshore Wind Terminal, where it will support the development of offshore wind projects for decades to come, starting in 2026.
But that won’t be enough to build out offshore wind to its full potential in the Gulf of Maine, let alone the rest of the eastern seaboard, where more lease sales are planned over the next four years. That’s why we are excitedly watching the development of a port in Searsport, which, like our community in Salem, is uniquely positioned to leverage its rich maritime heritage to build a clean energy industry for the 21st century with local, family-sustaining jobs.
As Searsport, the surrounding region and the state of Maine pursue this transformational opportunity, Salem Alliance for the Environment (SAFE) is eager to share lessons learned and challenges we’ve overcome on our own port journey. And Maine Climate Action NOW! Is committed to helping Maine learn from that experience.
Early, ongoing, and proactive engagement has been critical for Salem’s success so far. We’ve had allies from the beginning, including our city leadership, the state of Massachusetts, and the private port developer, all of whom share a vision and a commitment to ensuring the port’s benefits flow to our broader community.
SAFE built a strong coalition of neighborhood groups and civic groups hyper local to Salem with legal representation from the Conservation Law Foundation to ensure an equitable agreement was reached for the port’s development. We met weekly and agreed on environmental justice principles to focus our group and develop our asks for the development process.
We testified at state and federal meetings, supported a workforce equity grant, attended planning board meetings, researched endlessly, and talked regularly with the North Shore Labor Council, larger nonprofit partners, environmental justice leaders, the city of Salem, city councilors and our neighbors.
SAFE hosted webinars with experts on offshore wind jobs and early access points, impacts to birds and whales, and world-class ports. In partnership with other community organizations, we provided detailed educational material about Salem’s port project in a bilingual program that aired on local access television.
Most significantly, we made sure community voices, interests and concerns were represented in the historic community benefits agreement that the city of Salem negotiated and signed with the port’s developer earlier this year.
Among other things, this legally binding agreement provides almost $9 million to Salem over 25 years, along with non-financial commitments, to invest in workforce and economic development, local commitments to women and BIPOC hires, roads and infrastructure work on green spaces, wind-related education opportunities in our public schools, compensation for impacts to city services, and $50,000 annually for childcare. To ensure Salem does not continue to bear the burden of pollution, the agreement includes a 2040 port electrification target.
The agreement ensures language access was funded and integrated into communications and signage tied to the port. Additionally, to ensure transparency and accountability for a community benefit agreement, we established a port working group with one seat for our public school and two seats for community representatives.
You all know what’s best for your communities in Maine’s midcoast, whether it’s investments in housing and local infrastructure or new workforce partnerships between organized labor, K-12 schools and state educational institutions. Although breaking ground on Searsport’s port might still be a couple of years away, it’s not too early to begin community education and organizing to identify priorities for a community benefit agreement. In fact, Maine Climate Action NOW! is helping to plan an informational session this month.
As you work to seize this generational opportunity for Maine communities, we will be ready to stand with and support you.
