Tag Archives: MassDEP

Fuel, diesel oil spills and bilge leaks continue to plague New Bedford Harbor

They are called “mystery” spills, and they can be caused by a fuel line dislodging, a bilge leak or a diesel spill like the one that occurred near the State Pier on New Year’s Eve. Andrew Jones, an environmental analyst in the Department of Environmental Protection’s Lakeville office, has been an emergency responder with the emergency response section for the last 24 years.  He said it’s called a “mystery” spill when there is no way of knowing its source or who caused it. He said it could have been an accident, a boat sinking, a land source or an elicit bilge discharge or another cause. Renewed efforts are underway to site a shoreside bilge water recovery facility, or pump-out facility, for New Bedford Harbor. >>click to read<< 09:02

MassDEP Fines F/V Capt Carl, LLC for Discharge of Oiled Bilge Water to New Bedford Harbor 

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has assessed a $10,465 penalty to Trawler Capt. Carl, LLC of New Bern, North Carolina, for discharging oiled bilge water to the surface water of New Bedford Harbor near 4 Washington Street in Fairhaven. MassDEP’s surface water discharge regulations prohibit unpermitted discharges which are not incidental to the normal operation of a vessel. On May 5, 2022, MassDEP responded to the report of an oil spill in New Bedford Harbor off Fairhaven. Because a responsible party was not forthcoming, the U.S. Coast Guard conducted a publicly funded cleanup. Later investigation of Trawler Capt. Carl’s commercial fishing vessel in the immediate vicinity of the spill revealed a pronounced “bathtub ring” of oil within the vessel bilge, indicating that the oiled bilge water had recently been pumped out. >click to read< 13:49

Martha’s Vineyard Wind Turbine Globalism

The first offshore wind farm financial fiasco in the United States was launched off the coast of Rhode Island’s Block Island in 2016. The cost of placing 5 wind turbines was 290 million dollars. The high voltage electric cables cost more than the turbines themselves. Block Island residents were told they would save 40 percent on their electric rates if the turbines were installed.,, never got the rate cut.  The first Block Island wind turbine base was crushed during installation and later on start up a brand new gearbox had to be replaced. One out of the five turbines was defective the first day. The failure rate was twenty percent a business plan disaster. >click to read<  21:00