Posted on February 26, 2024
Nearly $9 million CBA represents strong commitment between port developer and the community.
The City of Salem and Crowley today announced the details of a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) worth nearly $9 million in direct funding assistance to the community, as well as other non-financial benefits. Crowley, through its Wind Services business unit, is developing the Salem Offshore Wind Terminal on Salem’s deep-water port as part of a public-private partnership to support the growth of renewable, offshore wind energy.
“I am incredibly grateful to Crowley and the many community organizations who helped make this CBA possible and to the City staff who worked so hard to get it done,” said Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo. “This is a historic document, not only because of the value and support it will bring to so many critical city efforts – infrastructure, jobs, education, resiliency, and public safety, just to name a few – but because it represents a powerful commitment by all parties to advance this project with an equity focus. This agreement reflects that Salem is an environmental justice community and one that has lived for generations with the legacy of fossil fuel power generation and heavy industry impacts on our port and our neighborhoods. Now, we’re ready to do our part to ensure a clean energy future for our community, our Commonwealth, and our country through the potential offered by offshore wind.”
“We are proud and grateful to successfully work with the City of Salem and its residents to provide a generational impact as partners and mutual stewards for the community’s benefit. The Community Benefits Agreement resulted from diverse inputs and engagement across the city in recognition of the economic investment we will create together. Through this partnership, we can leverage the power of this milestone project supporting renewable energy to make people’s lives better,” said Graham Tyson, vice president, Crowley Wind Services.
“We are encouraged by today’s agreement that codifies a number of essential community-based and environmental justice considerations, including the incorporation of workforce development metrics for local, women, and minority hires and training opportunities, stipulations to minimize impacts on neighborhoods, and a path forward to ensuring transparency and accountability,” said Jim Mulloy of the Salem Offshore Wind Alliance. “Community voices have been and will continue to be vital in the creation of an offshore wind hub in Salem that can transform our local economy and put us in a position to make Salem a model for the Commonwealth’s equitable clean energy transition. We look forward to our ongoing partnership with the City as we collaborate to see this work through.”
The terminal will be a logistics and operations center for wind turbine pre-assembly, transportation, staging activities and storage of assembly components and include redeveloping the former Salem Harbor Station site, previously a coal fire power plant.
