EDA selects Point Judith, New Bedford for study

WARWICK – Point Judith and New Bedford are two of the six regional ports that the U.S. Economic Development Administration has selected for an economic-development study, Congressman Jim Langevin, D-R.I., said on Wednesday applauding the review.
The EDA will be in Rhode Island for two-and-a-half days in late April, assessing issues ranging from infrastructure challenges to development and financing needs. The EDA will then present a report outlining the economic development best practices and customized strategies for long-term strategic planning.
The EDA will offer technical assistance to implement its findings, the U.S. Commerce Department said noting that the EDA teams are modeled after the ones deployed to the Gulf Coast communities following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
The other Northeast fishing communities include: Portland, Maine; Seabrook, N.H.; Gloucester, Mass.; and Montauk, N.Y. The sites were chose on economic and fisheries data, including groundfish landing revenues and the percentage of groundfish landed at a port relative to the state totals.
“I am pleased that Point Judith has been chosen for this assessment and encouraged by EDA taking a step to find solutions for the economic challenges facing our fishermen,” said Langevin in a news release on Wednesday.