Massachusetts Journalist -Politicians Jobs On The line

New Bedford Ocean Wind Turbine Port, Massachusetts

The news media and your politicians supposed representatives are aware of the financial fiasco in New Bedford

Massachusetts has evidently arrived at a point in its legal culture where no negative consequences seem to exist for making false or misleading claims to sell wind energy—the stuff dreams are made of. But industrial wind is a bunco scheme of enormous consequence. And people who value intellectual honesty should not quietly be fleeced by such mendacity, even from their government.The news media and all Massachusetts politicians are hiding these facts from the public. This is your money and they are throwing it in New Bedford Harbor

Massachusetts has spent 113 million dollars on the ocean wind turbine port. The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center refuses to comment on the $187,500.00 per month lease to Cape Wind given in September of 2104. The lease was given without knowing the final cost of the ocean wind port or the completion date. The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center refuses to comment on the completion date or the final costs.

Green energy bonds were used to start the construction of the port. The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center is the owner of the ocean wind port.

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center says the project is moving into “phase two.” An AM radio station on 4 acres of land has to be moved to a new site. It’s not clear if taxpayers purchased the new site. My bet is they did. There are no heavy lifting cranes at the site and the rail link remains a mile away.
A dredging meeting is being held February 23 at New Bedford City Hall. The channel outside the hurricane gates still needs to be dredged.

The biggest issue of all is the entrance to the harbor at the hurricane gate. The opening is 150 feet. The legal clearance is 120 feet. The largest boat in history to come through the hurricane gates was 80 feet wide.

The problem facing New Bedford Harbor since the inception of building the ocean port is the width clearance of 120 feet. In order to install large 6 megawatt wind turbines a special barge called a Jack-Up barge is needed to bring the massive turbines from the port to the ocean site. The Jack- Up barges world wide are 127 feet or wider. It has been known since day one that these barges will not fit through the hurricane gates.
Weeks Marine is building one small Jack-Up barge 78 feet wide to fit through the New Bedford hurricane barrier. It is not known if this barge is capable of installing large 6 megawatt ocean wind turbines.

The ocean wind port for Cape Wind was built and approved by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management six years ago complete with crane service thanks to a 22.5 million dollar Tiger Grant from the federal government. The port is called Quonset Point, Rhode Island. The port can handle up to four aircraft carriers at one time with two 1500 foot wide channels.

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center used green energy bonds to build the ocean wind turbine port. The MassCEC says now that the port in New Bedford was always intended as a freight port.

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center is a semi quasi state agency for the advancement of renewable energy not building freight ports.

For years there are those that say the intention of the Massachusetts politicians was to use the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center to build a new freight port taking the place of the Falmouth freight port.

Again the news media and your government officials continue to obfuscate.

The facts links and proof are below - The hurricane barrier clearance is too narrow for an ocean wind turbine port.

(120 Legal Clearance)http://www.portofnewbedford.org/shipping/intermodal-connections/ocean.php

• Hurricane Barrier Harbor Entrance Width: 150’ (45.7m)

The hurricane barrier, which can be closed during hurricane conditions and severe coastal storms, can accommodate vessels with beams up to 120 ft
( Questions and Answers From Bidders)

http://images.masscec.com/uploads/programdocs/Terminal%20Operator%20for%20the%20Marine%20Commerce%20Terminal%20in%20New%20Bedford%20Request%20for%20Proposals/Terminal%20Operator%20RFP%20-%20Questions%20and%20Answers.pdf

Questions Asked at the Bidders’ Conference on January 21, 2015:
1. What is the beam of the widest vessel that has come through the Hurricane Barrier? •
Jeff Stieb, Port Director of the New Bedford Harbor Development Commission, stated that the widest vessel that he can remember was the MS Regal Empress with a beam of approximately 80 feet. Additionally, the Northeast Marine Pilots Association (Pilots) conducted modeling at the Maritime Simulation Institute in Middleton, RI on the Hansa HeavyLift P-2 Series that has a beam of 83 feet.

2. What is the widest beam that the Pilots will consider bringing through the Hurricane Barrier? •
MassCEC has been working closely with the District Pilot Commissioner and the Northeast Marine Pilots Association (Pilots) to prepare the site for the future arrival of international vessels. As part of that preparation, MassCEC commissioned the Maritime Simulation Institute in Middletown, Rhode Island to build a model of the New Bedford Harbor. The Pilots have run multiple simulations of vessel arrivals at the Maritime Simulation Institute in Middletown, Rhode Island. The widest beam vessel that the Pilots have modeled is 83 feet.

(Small Barge To Fit Through Hurricane Gates )
http://www.weeksmarine.com/sites/default/files/April%202012%20Newsletter.pdf

A Giant Is Born Looming well above the tree line and surrounding buildings at a shipyard in Jacksonville, FL a giant is quickly taking shape. When it finally emerges off the end of the shipways this summer its splash will herald a new beginning for Weeks Marine, and with it formal entry into the budding US Domestic Offshore Wind industry.

This newest member of the Weeks Marine fleet commissioned by the Construction Division is the jackup barge “RD MacDonald” (WMI #752), 260’ x 78’ x22’ and 10,000 LT load line displacement. The vessel is named in honor of Rick MacDonald, SVP Construction, who has been with Weeks Marine for 11 years as a Senior Executive and has been a vocal supporter for Weeks pursuit of Offshore Wind Energy projects.