The Renewable Energy Economy
1st offshore wind farm gets OK
By Oren Dorell, USA TODAY
The Obama administration on Wednesday
approved the USA's first offshore wind energy
project, but opponents to the turbines off Cape
Cod vowed the fight is not over.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced his
decision after a nine-year federal review of the
project that pitted environmentalists against one
another and drew opposition from across party
lines.
Among opponents to Cape Wind in Massachusetts
was Edward Kennedy, a Democrat whose family
estate is in nearby Hyannis Port. Republican Sen.
Scott Brown, who now holds the Senate seat long
held by Kennedy, also opposes it. He has called
the Nantucket Sound "a national treasure that
should be protected."
The 130 turbines, 440 feet tall, would sit in waters
between Nantucket Island and Cape Cod. The
turbines would be 5 miles off Cape Cod at their
nearest point to land.
Brown said the project would jeopardize tourism
and fishing, both "vital to the cape's economy," and
threaten aviation safety and the rights of Native
American tribes. Area tribes have said the project
would desecrate submerged ancestral burial sites.
Cape Wind will produce power for 75% of the
demand in Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and
Nantucket Island, the Interior Department said. If
construction begins this year, Cape Wind said, it
can generate power by 2012.
Audra Parker, president of the Alliance to Protect
Nantucket Sound, which led opposition to the
project, vowed that it "is going to be in litigation
for years" and ultimately will be defeated.
By Oren Dorell, USA TODAY
The Obama administration on Wednesday
approved the USA's first offshore wind energy
project, but opponents to the turbines off Cape
Cod vowed the fight is not over.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced his
decision after a nine-year federal review of the
project that pitted environmentalists against one
another and drew opposition from across party
lines.
Among opponents to Cape Wind in Massachusetts
was Edward Kennedy, a Democrat whose family
estate is in nearby Hyannis Port. Republican Sen.
Scott Brown, who now holds the Senate seat long
held by Kennedy, also opposes it. He has called
the Nantucket Sound "a national treasure that
should be protected."
The 130 turbines, 440 feet tall, would sit in waters
between Nantucket Island and Cape Cod. The
turbines would be 5 miles off Cape Cod at their
nearest point to land.
Brown said the project would jeopardize tourism
and fishing, both "vital to the cape's economy," and
threaten aviation safety and the rights of Native
American tribes. Area tribes have said the project
would desecrate submerged ancestral burial sites.
Cape Wind will produce power for 75% of the
demand in Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and
Nantucket Island, the Interior Department said. If
construction begins this year, Cape Wind said, it
can generate power by 2012.
Audra Parker, president of the Alliance to Protect
Nantucket Sound, which led opposition to the
project, vowed that it "is going to be in litigation
for years" and ultimately will be defeated.
Parker said the approval was "a slap in the face" to rate payers, "who will ultimately have to pay for this project."
The Interior Department said the project would cost $1 billion.
Supporters said the decision sends a good signal to the wind energy industry. "America is open for business for
offshore wind" after trailing Europe and China, said Tom Vinson of the American Wind Energy Association. Coastal
areas will see more offshore turbines, with plans in Rhode Island, Delaware, Virginia and the Great Lakes, Vinson said.
A Rhode Island project could provide 15% of the state's energy needs, he said.
The American Bird Conservancy said the windmills pose a threat to birds, which could fly into the turbines. The
project will cause loons to abandon the area and hurt endangered roseated terns, the conservancy's Michael Fry said.
Kert Davies, research director at Greenpeace, an environmental activist group that backed the project, said Cape Wind
has to comply with laws protecting wildlife. "If we do nothing about climate change, birds, especially endangered
birds, will be hit by a giant hammer," Davies said. "We see this project as a keystone in the solution for global
warming."
The Interior Department said the project would cost $1 billion.
Supporters said the decision sends a good signal to the wind energy industry. "America is open for business for
offshore wind" after trailing Europe and China, said Tom Vinson of the American Wind Energy Association. Coastal
areas will see more offshore turbines, with plans in Rhode Island, Delaware, Virginia and the Great Lakes, Vinson said.
A Rhode Island project could provide 15% of the state's energy needs, he said.
The American Bird Conservancy said the windmills pose a threat to birds, which could fly into the turbines. The
project will cause loons to abandon the area and hurt endangered roseated terns, the conservancy's Michael Fry said.
Kert Davies, research director at Greenpeace, an environmental activist group that backed the project, said Cape Wind
has to comply with laws protecting wildlife. "If we do nothing about climate change, birds, especially endangered
birds, will be hit by a giant hammer," Davies said. "We see this project as a keystone in the solution for global
warming."
