New England Unions Push for Pro-Worker Strategy in Wind Energy Industry
Francisco Uranga,
Labor leaders consider offshore wind energy development the
beginning of a green industrial revolution in New England, and they want it to
be one with fair wages and high labor standards.
In a joint
virtual conference on Friday, union leaders from Connecticut, Rhode
Island and Massachusetts expressed support for coordinated efforts by the
governors of the three states to boost industry in the area, and called for
development companies to commit to adopting high labor and wage standards, as
well as ensuring that permanent workers can form unions.
The governors agreed
in October to jointly pursue offshore wind proposals of up to 6
gigawatts. Unions said they sent letters to the four companies expected to bid
— Avangrid, Ørsted, Southcoast Wind and Vineyard Offshore — asking them to
commit to a suite of high-road labor and equity standards. Companies can submit
bids until March 27; states will announce winners on Aug. 7.
“Every climate job should be a good job. We can’t build our
way out of the climate crisis with low-paying, exploitative jobs,” Connecticut
AFL-CIO President Ed Hawthorne said after the news conference. “That is why
labor is proposing a set of shared principles: strong labor standards,
transparency, accountability, state investment and workforce development. The
offshore wind industry could help spur the build-out of equitable, responsible
and worker-centered offshore wind energy. That is why we are united on it.”
The expansion of the offshore wind industry is part of a
federal strategy aiming to produce 30
gigawatts of wind energy by 2030, as a way to fight climate change and
create thousands of green jobs. Connecticut looks to occupy a key space in this
new sector, as it assembles turbines for some
of the first offshore wind projects underway at the State Pier in New
London.
Unions acknowledge that it’s difficult to quantify how many
jobs the wind industry can create in New England. A study conducted by
the National
Renewable Energy Laboratory in 2022 estimated that the number of
jobs needed to achieve President Joe Biden’s target of 30 gigawatts by 2030
ranged from 15,000 if just 25% of components were domestically manufactured, to
58,000 if all manufacturing was done in the U.S.
The study forecasts that eight out of 10 jobs will be
related to manufacturing and supply chains, an area that remains largely
untapped as most components are currently imported from Europe. New York is
spearheading this effort, with companies like General Electric already
manufacturing turbines and other components in the upstate region, alongside
the construction of new facilities.
New England union leaders said they did not consider that a
problem, given that reshoring and supply chain creation are regional
endeavors.
“We don’t see this as competition between workers. If New
York and New Jersey get the manufacturing jobs, Connecticut would get the
turbine work out in the water. Everyone wins,” Rhode Island AFL-CIO
Secretary-Treasurer Patrick Crowley said. “We see this as part of a regional
effort to rebuild manufacturing jobs while we’re cleaning up the economy.”
Crowley highlighted New York’s experience as a model to
follow, citing its success in overcoming conflicts caused by inflation and
supply chain disruptions. Despite
these challenges, New York launched the nation’s first offshore wind farm.
The study projects that the development sectors could
contribute between 800 and 3,200 total jobs nationwide — port and staging
between 400 and 1,600; marine construction between 500 and 2,100; and operation
and maintenance between 600 and 2,300.
Connecticut could secure a portion of these jobs, along with
specific specialized manufacturing phases, according to Paul Lavoie, the
state’s chief manufacturing officer. In
February, Lavoie told CT Examiner that Connecticut boasts one of the most
sophisticated supply chains in the area, with expertise in manufacturing
helicopters, jet engines and submarines. This, he said, puts the state at an
advantage for creating windmill components.
In the same interview, Paul Whitescarver, executive director
of the nonprofit Southeastern Connecticut Enterprise Region, noted that wind
industry companies often express frustration with navigating the varying state
and federal regulations in the U.S. He, therefore, praised the collaborative
effort among Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts as a positive step
toward streamlining the sector’s development.
On Friday, union leaders echoed the sentiment, expressing
confidence in their ability to collaborate across state lines.
“State governments don’t normally work across borders on
major projects like this. Every state focuses on its own business,” Crowley
said. “The labor movement, who has much more experience working
collaboratively, can help the states navigate the process so that it benefits
the entire region.”
Hawthorne emphasized that workers must not only be involved
in energy transition discussions, but should also lead them.
“We are not simply talking about reducing carbon emissions,”
he said. “We are imagining a future where renewable energy projects power our
homes and our industries and create a new era of opportunities for American
workers.”
Norwalk's Berkely Street to get new sidewalks in $1.8M project
NORWALK — The mission
to close travel gaps for pedestrians and drivers and improve Norwalk’s
road system continues with the approval of new projects.
Berkeley
Street is set to get new sidewalks after Norwalk’s Common Council
approved a $1.8 million request from the Department of Public Works.
“As you know, we have our annual paving operations; we pave
our roads every year and as construction protocol, we always build our
sidewalks ahead of time,” James Meehan, a principal engineer for Norwalk, said
during the Common Council meeting on March 12. “We’re planning to pave Berkeley
Street in the next coming construction phase.”
Off West Avenue, pedestrians often use Berkeley to avoid the
main roads, said Nicol Ayers, a Common Council member from District A.
“Berkeley Street is a very quaint, quiet street,” Ayers
said.
“I’m just happy that it is getting some curb appeal or some
needed improvements, and because it’s in my district,” Ayers added.
In addition to the new sidewalks and curbs, Berkeley Street
will receive drainage improvements ahead of the repavement project.
“I think it’s really valuable to highlight the strategy
here, which is they go through, they fix all the drainage, they get the
utilities taken care of, they make sure that everything is in good shape and
that it has time to settle. So that then when they pave it the next year, we
don’t get the cracking and the potholes,” said Nora Niedzielski-Eichner, a
Common Council member. “I just really want to commend DPW for the
thoughtfulness of this process.”
“I grew up on Berkeley Street, and I don’t think the roads
and sidewalks have been paved since then,” Mayor Harry Rilling said.
In addition to approving the $1.8 million contract for
Berkeley Street’s improvements, the Common Council also approved $550,000 for
ongoing accessibility improvements in Norwalk.
An ongoing project with Norwalk’s Transportation, Mobility
and Parking Department, the city has made several connectivity improvements
associated with the Americans with Disabilities Act across the city, including
a raised crosswalk on the Norwalk
River Valley Trail at Union Park.
“We also did some ADA handicap ramps and crosswalks on North
Water Street leaving the South garage and going directly across into the
Maritime Aquarium entryway,” said Troy Deering, TMP’s construction project
manager.
The funding will cover more projects, “closing gaps, making
things safer” in Norwalk’s network, Deering said.
Bridge work on Lovers Lane in Wilton will cause some traffic closures in area near Merwin Meadows
WILTON — Motorists heading to the Merwin Meadows area
will face
intermittent closures on Lovers Lane on Monday and Tuesday due to work
on a bridge replacement project, the town of Wilton announced.
A crane will
be delivered Monday to the bridge project area, and the bridge beams will be
delivered and installed Tuesday, the town said.
On both days, Lovers Lane will be closed intermittently
while the equipment and beams needed for the project are delivered and
installed.
Police officers and traffic flaggers will be on site both
days to direct traffic in the area near the town park. Any emergency
vehicles needing to cross the Lovers Lane bridge will be given first
priority.
The entire bridge replacement project is expected to be
completed this summer.
The work this week is the latest step in installing a
new 60-foot
bridge to carry Lovers Lane over the Comstock Brook. Lovers Lane,
which is off Ridgefield Road (Route 33) opposite Wilton Center, connects with
Merwin Lane. Both roads are dead-ends, and there are about 10 houses as well as
the Wilton Playshop along the road that leads to Merwin Meadows town park.
A temporary
bridge, allowing one lane of alternating traffic, was installed last year on
Lovers Lane to start the replacement project.
The old
bridge, which was about 90 years old, had structural problems and was only
16 feet wide, which made it “functionally obsolete.”
There were serious problems with the old bridge's
substructure, which had a rating of “poor.” In particular, the concrete
abutments, which go down to the water, were rated “poor” and the scour was
rated “critical.” Scour is the erosion by the water of the stream of the dirt
at the bridge abutments.
For the construction — estimated
at $2.7 million to $2.8 million in 2020 — the town will be responsible
for 20 percent of the cost, with federal funds paying the remaining 80 percent.
Estimated cost of Madison Community Center at old Academy School may go up to $17.9 M
Sarah Page Kyrcz
MADISON — The Academy Community Center project has increased
by some $2 million after consultants discovered “surprises,” bringing it to
$17.9 million.
This unexpected cost jump may mean that the project may undergo some design changes.
“We’re at a juncture of deciding where we have to go with
the design of Academy,” said Joe Ballantine, chairman of the Ad Hoc Academy
Community Center Building Committee at the Feb. 26 Board of Selectmen meeting.
“We thought that we’d be able to stay within the current
budget and build a community center that was reflective of what was presented
at the referendum,” Ballantine told selectmen.
Voters
approved $15.9 million at a February 2022 referendum to construct
the 50,000-square-foot community center at the shuttered Academy Street School.
This isn’t the first time the cost has gone up for the
planned community center.
In 2021, the anticipated cost of the project was $14
million, but increased to $15.9 million a year later due to the rising material
prices and the decision to add a geothermal system into the budget.
But, the committee nixed the geothermal system ,
representing a savings of $1 million. “The benefits of the geothermal
system were reduced and the cost went up,” Ballantine told the selectmen.
Another savings, in the amount of $550,000, was in
redesigning the entrance design of the building.
An elevator will be included in the project to ensure the
building is ADA compliant. To keep within the budget, the original design of
the elevator has been modified.
“The original design had glass on both sides and those were
very, very much nice to have, but they went out very quickly in our process,”
said Joan Walker, committee member.
These savings, however, do not offset the increased costs to
the project.
Built in 1921 and added onto in 1935, the building was used
as an elementary school before being closed in 2004. In 2011 the Board of
Education turned it over to the town.
“It’s not just a big building, it’s an older building and it
has its own quirks and its own challenges,” Ballantine said.
One large increase was in the cost of heavy construction,
which increased $3 million.
When the school was initially looked at, town officials
believed the infrastructure of the building could be saved and some of
the mechanical, electrical and plumbing could be reused, according to
Ballantine.
“That turned out to be a wrong assumption,” he said.
After studying the project, Ballantine said, “we went
through a number of months thinking we could find things that we might be able
to take out.”
“Unfortunately, what we saw was we actually got more
surprises based on the assumptions,” he said.
These include the need to replace the septic system.
“Sanitary and sewers were originally $65,000 for just kind
of tweaks, now it’s to $253,000,” said Walker.
The system serves all the town buildings surrounding the
Academy and talks are ongoing to determine if the town will share in the cost
of this replacement.
In addition, per fire codes, the building requires a
sprinkler system, which will cost $300,000 and improved site improvement which
will increase the budget by $220,000.
Over and above these increases, Walker said, “there’s
potential add-ons because we haven’t even looked at the stage or theater – the
larger theater.”
“We’re just going to do that as an add-on if we can raise
funds for it, privately,” she said.
The cost of the project could be reduced by state and
federal grants awarded to the town.
These include $3.625 million through a congressional earmark
in the 2024 Minibus Appropriations bill and a $4 million grant from the State
Bond Commission awarded in 2022, said First Selectman Peggy Lyons.
It is possible that even with this news the cost overrun
would have to be voted on at a referendum.
“It is my understanding right now that although the grants
significantly reduce the bonding costs of the project to the Madison taxpayer,
they cannot be applied to cover any cost escalations over $15.9 million,” Lyons
said in a text.
“The total project budget approved at referendum was $15.9
million, leaving Madison taxpayers to fund a much reduced amount of $8.275
million in local bonding,” she said in an email. The lower figure takes the
grants into account.
Some of the amenities in the current plans include a large gymnasium with a
stage, social lobby/lounge with a cafe near the Beach and Recreation offices,
various community spaces and an auditorium/meeting room all on the main level.
Youth and Family Services offices and suites and other
spaces would be located on the upper level.
The committee is in the process of going line by line
through the budget to determine what is most important to retain and what can
be left to do at a later time, members discussed at their February meeting.
“I’m disappointed because we stated categorically that this
was a good number and now it’s not,” said Bruce Wilson, selectman. “But not
completely surprised.”
The plan is to have construction start at the end of this
year, with completion at the end of 2025 and occupancy by early 2026, according
to Ballantine.
Wilson would like the committee to return to the BOS and
present a new budget, incorporating the grant money.
“The early numbers suggest that we can actually do the
project, reduce the level of borrowing commitment from taxpayers and get the
community center that everybody thought they were voting for,” said Wilson.
“Before we start talking about scaling back the scope of the
community center or what we put in it, we should make sure that we can’t create
a pathway to building it out the way it was voted on,” he said.
Here's why a 420-ton, all-electric moving machine has come to New Haven
NEW HAVEN — On a platform suspended nearly 40 feet above New
Haven Harbor, Gov. Ned Lamont got a first-hand look Monday at the latest piece
of machinery designed to help the state meet its ambitious targets for reducing
greenhouse gas emissions.
From the
platform, a gigantic green arm swivels over the docks, barges and cargo ships
of the Gateway Terminal with the Port of New Haven. Attached to the end of the
arm is a cavernous metal bucket, large enough to easily scoop up the governor’s
state-issued SUV and deposit it into one of the awaiting ships.
At the bottom of the structure, a line of red cable runs
underneath the pier and onto land, where it hooks up the rest of the region's
power grid.
The cargo
mover, built by the German firm Sennebogen, is the largest machine of its
kind to run entirely on electric power, according to the manufacturer. It was
installed by Gateway in December utilizing a $3.1 million in state grants,
replacing an older diesel-powered crane that belched carbon dioxide and
other smog-forming
pollutants into the air. New Haven is one of only three ports in the
country equipped with the newest Sennebogen machines.
The total $7.5 million cost of the all-electric mover
included infrastructure upgrades that allowed Gateway to draw enough power for
the machines’ 500 kilowatt motor, which uses enough electricity to power
several hundred homes.
With the infrastructure already in place, Gateway plans to
eventually replace its other diesel-powered crane with a second all-electric
model, according to the company’s president, Greg Baribault.
Over the course of its lifespan, each of the electric cargo
handlers will forgo around 350,000 gallons of diesel fuel.
“We’d like to get to a point where we can unload a ship with
an electric crane, put it on an electric truck, bring it to our warehouse and
unload it with an electric forklift and store it in our warehouse until it goes
out to an end user,” Baribault said.
During his tour on Monday, Lamont acknowledged that
Connecticut and the other states sharing New England’s electric grid will need
to vastly increase the supply of available, renewable electricity if they plan
to meet their deadlines to slashing carbon emissions by mid-century.
While industrial users such as Gateway account for just 8
percent of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions, according
to a 2021 report, the simultaneous transition to electric vehicles and
growth of other energy-intensive users is expected to place incredible strain
on the region’s power grid.
“We’re going to need more electric capacity, this is a small
piece of that need, but nothing compared to data
centers and AI and the eventual electrification of the transportation
system,” Lamont said. “It’s something we’re thinking hard about right now.”
Gateway is also the operator of the State Pier in New
London, which was recently retrofitted to become a hub
for offshore wind power. Lamont also pointed to discussions surrounding
more distant possibilities, such as importing more hydropower from Quebec or
even expanding
the output of Connecticut’s Millstone Nuclear Power Plant —
though both of those options remain years away from reality.
In the meantime, Baribault said that the move to electrify
Gateway's operations in New Haven is expected to result in savings on both fuel
and maintenance.
While the Sennebogen’s 50-ton lift capacity is slightly less
than a traditional crane, its longer arm and speedier maneuvering means that
crews can also save time loading and unloading vessels. Baribault said the
difference between a crane and a material handler depends “more or less how you
use it,” though cranes typically involve cables supported by a latticework
structure.
“Even though you lose one or two tons each cycle, you’re
doing three cycles for every one cycle on that one,” Baribault said.
On Monday, the machine was being used to load scrap metal
into a barge destined for Charleston, S.C., where its cargo was to be offloaded
and recycled into steel coils and billets. In addition to exporting scrap
metal, Gateway’s New Haven facility also imports steel products, lumber and
asphalt both domestically and from ports as far away as Turkey.
New Haven is the first of 21 port facilities operated by
Gateway's parent company, Enstructure LLC, to be equipped with an all-electric
cargo mover according to CEO and founder Philippe De Montigny. He said the
company eventually plans to roll out similar systems throughout its network of
ports.