photo courtesy of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Governor Mitt Romney with Chair of the Seaport Advisory Council, Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey.

New Bedford Harbor: an aerial view of the Commercial Fish Pier. The port of New Bedford/ Fairhaven is home to the largest fishing feet on the East Coast.

(In PDF Format, 42K)

Focus on Port Development

By Governor Mitt Romney

The ports and harbors of Massachusetts are the original foundation of our wealth and prosperity. While the economy is now far more diverse, the industrial, commercial, and recreational value of our connections to the sea remain fundamentally important to the fortunes of the Commonwealth. Maintaining and improving our maritime facilities to support these uses is good business and good policy.

Investments in maritime industry and infrastructure must be guided by a comprehensive assessment of need, benefit, and cost in the context of long-term municipal and state development goals. Under the Seaport Initiative, the Commonwealth’s major port communities have demonstrated their commitment to a port development planning strategy that integrates social, economic, and environmental objectives in formal implementation plans. These Municipal Harbor Plans, developed by the ports in consultation with port professionals; the public; and local and state economic, infrastructure, and environmental staff, establish a management and investment template consistent with statewide policy but specific to the unique circumstances of the individual port.

My administration will work with these port communities to promote maritime trade in Massachusetts in the context of this integrated development approach. To underscore the importance of this partnership, Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey will serve as my representative and Chair the Seaport Advisory Council, directly assisting in the Council’s mission to build port infrastructure, advocate for the maritime community, develop maritime policy for the Commonwealth, and promote the overall economic development of Massachusetts.