Massachusetts is pushing an initiative to get more young people to work in the renewable energy industry, Gov. Maura Healey said Thursday during a tour of the Vineyard Wind I operations and maintenance facilities in Vineyard Haven.
The company is building the 806-megawatt offshore wind farm in waters 15 miles south of the Vineyard. It is the first large-scale offshore wind project in the country.
Healey said Vineyard Wind has created more than 2,000 jobs across the state. Vineyard Wind officials have said 90 are on the Vineyard, where the company headquarters is based. Half the workers are expected to live on the Island.
“I’m really pumped about the fact that we’re going to see so many people employed just in operations and maintenance right here on the Vineyard,” Healey said.
Gov. Healey said high school curriculums in the state have been adapted to help students prepare for careers in the clean energy sector.
“Students can actually learn, in school, relevant skills and training for the clean-energy sector,” she said. Her budget includes funds to help match interns with local companies to develop those skills, she added.
Healey’s office also recently launched a Climate Careers Fund, which will award a total of $3.4 million to three minority-serving institutions to increase the number of minority students prepared to enter the clean-energy workforce. It identified the recipients as the Massachusetts Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology, Holyoke Community College, and Roxbury Community College.
On the Vineyard, adult education nonprofit organization ACE MV has been connecting Islanders with offshore wind technological and technical certifications through Bristol Community College and Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
During the governor’s visit Thursday, Gabriel Bellebuono, a GE wind technician on the Vineyard Wind project, told local and state officials that he “didn’t really have a clue” what he would do after graduating from Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School in 2018, but his subsequent online training at Bristol Community College prepared him for hands-on work.
“I heard about this, and kind of just put my foot out there and started learning,” he said about the wind turbine project. He said his ability to work on such an impactful project feels “surreal.”
Local officials and representatives for the offshore wind project joined the governor during her tour of Vineyard Wind.
Roy Cutrer, the Tisbury select board chair, said getting the Vineyard Wind facilities onto the Island was “more than a decade-long journey for town officials.”
What is she doing to compensate our south shore home owners for the loss of their idyllic ocean view?
albert– she’s not doing anything to compensate them.
Why should my tax dollars go to some rich person
who only looks at that “idyllic ocean view” for a few days
a year ? By the way, the windmills can’t be seen on the majority
of days due to atmospheric conditions.
I would love it if someone who is on the south shore
every day would keep a record — like a simple y , n or p
for part of the day and show us all that I am wrong.
I love to be proven wrong…
Sarcasm…
Does anyone think the Vineyard Wind facility enhances the aesthetic of our harbor? Will Vineyarders see lower electric rates?
Peter, Vineyarders can see nearly free electric rates if they drive an electric car paired with solar panels on their property. For most people the ROI is three years. Exit the grid.
Peter– I wonder if you remember what was there before ?
I would say a definite improvement in the aesthetics
on both sides of the road.
You dub these behemoths on the road and in the water—especially the latter wrecking our harbor views– aesthetic improvements?
Words fail.
Just for the record– anyone who thinks these machines
are more visible than expected wasn’t paying attention
during the permitting and public comment period.
Sorry, but they put it all out there, and it was accurate.
I have posted the data, the simulations and statements
from VW 1 reps at least 4 times on this site.
And yet, the wilfully ignorant continue to deny the facts.
So 45 people are expected to eventually live here out of 90?
I highly doubt that. They misled everyone so far. Our scenic ocean views have been destroyed by green greed.
Dee, wait until the construction is finished, it will be less visible then.
Green greed? No one on the island has such a problem.
Has anyone on the island experienced flooding since 1993?
Just wait until the oceans rise two more feet…
When are we going to stop using fossil fuels?
Dee what have they mislead us about ? please be
specific. Extra points if you can come up with 2 things.
But be careful, because I will read your comment and reply.
Try to say something truthful.
What difference does it make where the workers live? Do you think everyone working for the steamship lives on the Vineyard or Nantucket? Have you been down to the Vineyard Haven terminal to watch the first couple boats unload? Awful lot of people getting off those boats carrying lunchboxes.
And if the 90 employees did live on island, why do I feel you’d be one of the people moaning about the added traffic or lack of housing for them.
My son was born here. He is one of the 90. He just bought a house, it is not here. Too many nattering nabobs of negativity.
I won’t take Dee’s bet.
I bet that she is right.
(Waiting to be lectured by our tireless, tiresome pedagogues, Don and Mary.
That is a bet I will make.)
Who on the the Island is qualified for these Jobs?
Who on the Island wants these jobs?
Who wants to work two weeks on, two weeks off?
Texas offshore oil workers do.
Katherine would you be ok if the Island generated all of the power it consumes, on Island?
Wind, solar, gas, heavy oil, or coal?
Should all power power generation be done where you can’t see it?
Or smell it?
Thank you, Governor Healey, for helping young people prepare for our future! Thank you for your support and commitment to eliminate fossil fuel use.
Ah . The feel good Green Energy agenda.
While the overall productively of all the windmill ocean is dubious @ best based on all the required buildout & upkeep barely measurable. As long as China India & Russia keep burning everything does it matter ??
Gayle– I am always amazed when someone blames China.
India and Russia for carbon emissions, while ignoring the
oversized carbon footprint of the United states.
Just in case you want to keep your head in the sand
and ignore reality by not opening this link, I will summarise
for you https://www.worldometers.info/co2-emissions/co2-emissions-by-country/
The U.S has twice the carbon emissions of India
despite India having nearly 4 times the population we do.
We burn “more of everything” than India and Russia combined.
Our per capita emissions are double that of the average Chinese
citizen and more than 7 times that of the average Indian citizen
and 25% higher than a Russian citizen also.
Now, that link is from 2016–the latest list I could find,
so here is a different format from 2022. Note that the U.S is
the only one of the top 4 that is actually reducing emissions.
And by the way , here is a list of the most polluted cities
on the planet.
https://www.iqair.com/us/world-most-polluted-cities?sort=-rank&page=2&perPage=50&cities=
I’m happy to be in the U.S with all of it’s environmental
regulations. We take our clean air and water for granted,
but it was a hard battle against “conservative” interests .
We can lead by example.
I’m sure you think we are “better” than they are.
But the point is that you should not throw stones
if you live in a glass house.
Gayle, it has nothing to do with climate and everything to do with the transfer of wealth. Just look at one persons comment in another story cheering on the teamsters to hurt the rich. For some reason people who live on MV think they know best and that taxing US citizens and forcing their agenda on other US citizens will somehow change the worlds climate. Someone better tell them China India and Russia have plans on moving off fossil fuels and in fact are increasing its use. Sadly we are sheep.
Carl–I give you credit for noting that China India and Russia
are increasing their carbon footprint, while we are reducing ours.
Not that you actually said that, but I trust you will look at
the links in my comment above,
so, if they are “bad” does that justify us being “bad” ?
Are we obligated to follow the worst of the polluters?
If you happen to live in Forest Hill in Newark N.J : “A historic, family-friendly neighborhood in the North Ward or South Ironbound: “A safe place to walk and raise a family, with many new developments” or Weequahic: “A safe and family-friendly neighborhood ”
Would you criticize efforts to keep those
neighborhoods safe and the crime rate down, or would you say
“look– springfield-belmont and Dayton Weequahic have the highest
crime rates, so let’s give up about keeping crime low here and
follow their lead ?
I don’t think so— Yeah it would be easy, but only sheep would think that way–
Carl, you’re absolutely right about the transfer of wealth: that IS the issue. The oil industry earns about $10,000 to $20,000, per year, on average, from every family in the United States. That’s A LOT of money! When electricity is nearly free, where are the oil barons going to get their money? There is NO other industry that has its hooks in us like the oil industry!
For people willing to consider the change to our society when electricity is free: what will our lives look like? Where will business be able to grow when we don’t have energy bills?
Exit the grid and vote against the conservative oil industry.
I was listening to the president of a company that relies on coal a few days ago. He was visibly upset about the change coming to the coal mines (the US has committed to shuttering all coal mines in the US in the next ten years) and vowed to convince congress to fight for coal mines. He sees the demise of his industry (his very own pay check) and is frightened how he’s going to pay for his massive new house. The writing is on the wall. When electricity is nearly free our world is going to bloom like a flower! 🌺
About a trillion dollars per year is going to flow to other industries.
Carl– I am sure that you know this ;
“The 2020 Credit Suisse Global Wealth report makes for stark reading.
Released at the end of October, it revealed that the top one percent of households globally own 43 percent of all personal wealth, while the bottom 50 percent own only one percent.”
https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/top-1-percent-of-households-own-43-percent-of-global-wealth-13116301
How did that transfer of wealth happen ?
Well, let’s take a look at the tax rates of some seriously rich
people.
Warren Buffet–.1% of actual income. yes , there is a decimal point
before that 1
Jeff Bezos — .98 % of income — he looked so poor on paper,
he took the $4,000 child tax credit intended for low income people.
Elon Musk–3.27 %
Carl Icahn–Zero taxes in 2016 and 2017
George Soros– zero taxes 3 years in a row
Mark Zuckerberg — naver has and likely never will.
https://americansfortaxfairness.org/wp-content/uploads/ProPublica-Billionaires-Fact-Sheet-Updated.pdf
By the way, I didn’t “cheer on the teamsters to hurt the rich”
I said “the teamsters
ruin everything— for the rich.” when replying to
a supposedly wealthy person complaining
about how “unions ruin everything” take it in context ,please.
Don, the top earners pay the most taxes.
https://taxfoundation.org/data/all/federal/latest-federal-income-tax-data-2024/#:~:text=The%20top%201%20percent%20earned,the%20bottom%2090%20percent%20combined.
If the rich weren’t paying taxes no one would be. The money we are spending comes from the rich and from borrowing since we have more takers than earners and it’s getting worse every day with the open border.
What you are not telling is that when the rich get crushed in down markets they get to carry forward their losses. Some years the very rich don’t make money and therefore they don’t pay taxes. They sell at a loss.
As far as ruining things for the rich that’s your prerogative but just know it’s the rich that pay for mostly everything and are rich because they are improved our way of life. Including those nasty oil companies. Unions have done good and bad. Just look at Detroit as an example of the bad.
And I’m still laughing at those descriptions of Newark neighborhoods. You wouldn’t let Engelman walk down those streets alone.
Gayle, here’s an article talking about the
loss of forests in the US. We are losing
trees 🌲 on a massive scale to
climate change.
https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-priorities/tackle-climate-change/climate-change-stories/trees-in-peril/#:~:text=In%20waves%20across%20the%20land,in%20a%20few%20short%20decades.
Gayle, have your trees been infected with new bugs since the climate started changing drastically? How about flooding where you live? Have you noticed in the news how mountains all over the planet have lost their glaciers?
There is no “agenda.”
There are people who have studied the science and are horrified that we may have crossed a line of no return. Please don’t buy into the oil oligarchs’ lies about the climate so they don’t lose thousands of dollars per year from you and every other family on the planet.
who gives a s&*t about the ocean and its inhabitants…. what’s it matter? AS LONG AS WE HAVE WHAT WE WANT ….. we suck as a species….
Dolores– Are you upset because there are some poles in
the ocean, or are you upset because the inhabitants
of the ocean are in distress from warming ocean temperatures
and changing PH levels ? Or perhaps both ?
It makes me feel good.
“While the overall productively of all the windmill ocean is dubious @ best based on all the required buildout & upkeep barely measurable.” Source?
China and India are the world leaders in the development of non burning energy production.
On a per person basis the US pollutes twice as much as China and seven times as India.
Russia is Trump’s friend. Trump thinks windmills are ugly. Putin loves Trump.
Reduction of of hydrocarbon consumption matters, no matter were it happens.
It matters! Just smell the air coming off of a wind turbine, compare it to the wind coming off of a coal plant smokestack. Enjoy…
Putin and Trump belong to the Mutual Admiration Society, along with Kim Jong Un.
can someone tell me when the so called climate crisis will be reversed, how many windmills and electric cars before it slows and reverses?
John –the blunt answer is when the tipping points go over the
edge and it becomes so apparent that even you will will realize
that a small group of billionaires managed to convince wilfully
ignorant hedonistic idiots that there is not a “so called climate crisis”.
The crap is already hitting the fan. The extreme tornado events in
the heartland of this country are not “fake news” .
The record heat around the world is not fake news.
rising sea levels are not fake news.
Bleaching of the most fertile ecosystems on the planet is not fake news.
Extreme droughts and flood around the world are not fake news.
An extraordinary rise in the number of the most severe storms around all regions
of the planet are not fake news,
Unprecedented rates of extinction are not fake news.
Windmills and electric cars will not spare our grandchildren
the consequences of our unfettered materialistic desires.
The only thing that will spare our grandchildren and subsequent
generations from the horrors of what we are condemning them to
is when people like you understand the reality of the situation and
its consequences. Perhaps then, they will have a chance to live a life that
is comparable to yours.
But as long as people deny the obvious, and refer to the most dangerous
threat that humanity has ever faced, as “so called” it doesn’t matter
how many cars and windmills there are– It’s a state of mind– a willingness
to act, that will spare our descendants the prospect of an uninhabitable
planet.
Moving away from burning fossil fuels is not the final cure, but it helps. EV do help once you drive 40K miles. Don’t go into the depths of dispare, as that is not helpful.
Once again hyperbole with no facts. Tornadoes in the US for instance between 1950–2007 there were 50 tornadoes officially rated F5. 2007–present: 9 tornadoes officially rated EF5 . So an average drop from .87 a year to .29. Oh, and the F5 Scale begins with wind speeds of 261mph, the newer EF scale at 200 mph. Speaking of Billionaires what about Al Gore’s “green” investment firm that’s worth $36 billion and pays him $2 million a month. And please just send a link to a scientific study that states humans are solely responsible for climate change. Just one, that’s all I need. Good luck looking because it does not exist.
Wow, easy take a breath.
Just a reminder that lithium is the fourth most abundant element in the universe and on the 🌎 planet. Batteries are going to flood the market and become very inexpensive. Electricity is going to become nearly zero cost.
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