Speakers say state is moving to replace revoked federal funding for Salem terminal; legislation to redirect offshore wind incentives filed

Rodrigo Bedard, president of the North Shore Building Trades Council, told the New Bedford audience that a federal action last year threatened the Salem offshore wind terminal and local jobs, and he described steps the Baker-Healey administration and Legislature are taking to respond.

"On the second anniversary of our meeting ... the Trump administration revoked a $34 million federal grant to the city of Salem," Bedard said, adding that the revocation on Aug. 29, 2025 put about "an estimated 800 good-paying jobs" at risk. Bedard credited the Healey-Driscoll administration for filing state-directed legislation on April 15, 2026 "to jump-start the construction of the Salem offshore wind terminal by redirecting underutilized offshore wind tax incentives, pending final approval by [the] state Senate." (Bedard’s remarks were the source of the grant and date referenced.)

Governor Maura Healey repeated the administration’s commitment to invest in ports and workforce training and said she had signed an executive order intended to bring more energy supply into Massachusetts and to streamline permitting. "We're partnering with other states in the Northeast and with Canada to boost our local economies," Healey said, and urged continued state support for infrastructure that can host offshore wind operations.

Event remarks do not include on-stage federal documentation of the grant revocation or a Senate vote; reporters should treat the grant-revocation figure and job estimate as speaker-attributed claims pending independent confirmation. Speakers framed the proposed state legislation and administrative steps as efforts to replace federal support and keep local projects shovel-ready.

Organizers and union leaders said they view the proposed state action as a path to restore momentum for the Salem terminal and similar projects, and they urged final legislative approval and continued collaboration among developers, labor and state agencies.