Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…
State and federal politicians lined up along the New Bedford waterfront last week to unveil a new terminal slated for offshore wind. From the Environmental Protection Agency’s regional director to Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, each took turns touting the port’s growing role in the nation’s green energy transition.
But the speeches were punctuated by a plume of smoke rising from out in the harbor. It was coming from a New Bedford scallop vessel experiencing engine troubles. The captain, who says he was unaware of the ceremony, docked at the terminal to fix the engine. The vessel, the F/V Prowess, was flying a white flag with a red circle and slash cutting through a turbine; a symbol many fishing boats hoist to demonstrate resistance to offshore wind development and its impact on the fishing industry.
The boat was quickly approached by a New Bedford police officer, who asked the captain to take down the flag so as to not interrupt the ceremony. The captain, Russel Isabel, resisted at first, but eventually ceded. A crew member furled the flag around its pole as the politicians continued with their speeches. The dispute has since sparked debate along the waterfront. For fishermen — already critical of offshore wind conflicting with fishing grounds — it is another example of what they perceive as the government silencing their opposition to offshore wind and steamrolling their industry…