(Updated, 1:30 p.m.)
WASHINGTON – The Quonset Development Corporation has been awarded $22.3 million in federal stimulus money to upgrade the infrastructure at Quonset Business Park and purchase a crane for Davisville Port with an eye toward creating a hub for wind turbine assembly.
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Gov. Donald L. Carcieri said the money would give “a tremendous boost” to the state’s efforts to become a center for the renewable energy industry. QDC Managing Director Steven King said construction work may begin within six months.
But the U.S. Department of Transportation passed over a similar $39.4 million request made by the Port of Providence, as well as an application by the R.I. Department of Transportation to rebuild the bridge carrying Interstate 95 past Providence Place. It was not immediately clear why or whether the two proposals would be considered in later funding rounds.
The Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery, or TIGER, program also awarded New Bedford $20 million of the $36.4 million it sought to repair freight rail bridges leading to the Port of New Bedford. The government said currently trains can only travel over the bridges at 5 mph, and one of the bridges is resting on the wall of an adjacent building.
The TIGER money Quonset was awarded represented about 50 percent of the $45.4 million QDC requested in its application last September. QDC spokesman David Preston said the lower funding level means some lower-priority infrastructure improvements will be put on hold. But major improvements will go forward.
The QDC says the upgrades will help offshore wind developer Deepwater Wind LLC open a planned wind turbine assembly plant at the park. However, the federal government has not yet said exactly which projects have been funded, King said.
Officials hope the Deepwater plant – which is expected to employ about 800 people – will spur other green companies to locate nearby, stimulating the economy and creating employment.
“This is an exciting announcement that will help put Rhode Island at the forefront of a new energy future,” U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., said in a statement. “It is a win for the state because it will help create up to 800 green jobs at Quonset and a win for the nation because it will help reduce our dependence on foreign oil.”
In its application, QDC said the money would create between 500 and 800 jobs. The bulk of those jobs would be at the Deepwater plant, with the agency anticipating the remainder coming from businesses that expand or move into the park as a result of the infrastructure improvements. The new crane and refurbished docks also could create jobs, QDC said.
Paul Rich, Deepwater’s chief development offer, said: “This grant provides the support to not only advance the construction of our proposed offshore wind farms, but also to truly transform Quonset Point into a regional manufacturing hub for renewable energy projects.”
QDC, which is part of the R.I. Economic Development Corporation, estimated those jobs will lead to $20 million to $32 million in annual wages; $2.9 million to $4.7 million in federal income tax revenue; $502,000 to $819,000 in annual state income tax revenue; and $110 million in private investment.
The Quonset application was one of 45 picked from about 1,400 requests for $60 billion made to the TIGER program, which has $1.5 billion to hand out. The four members of the state’s all-Democratic congressional delegation released a joint statement hailing the grant.
Spokesmen for the Port of Providence and the city, which had lobbied hard for the port’s request, did not immediately respond to messages. Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline had traveled to Washington, D.C., at least twice to personally lobby high-ranking officials to fund the port’s request.
Chip Unruh, a spokesman for Reed, said it was unclear why the DOT rejected Providence’s two requests. He said Reed had already met with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to encourage the DOT to support the applications when the $600 million second round of TIGER grants are awarded.
The R.I. Department of Transportation said it is exploring other avenues for getting federal funds for the projects that were not funded Wednesday by the TIGER program.
