Cape Wind, which has sought for nine years to develop a 130-turbine wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts, received a boost today when Interior Secretary Ken Salazar repeated his promise to reach a decision on the project no later than March 1.
Salazar reaffirmed his deadline during a meeting held in Washington, DC, today with stakeholders, including representatives from two Wampanoag tribes, the state of Massachusetts, the town of Barnstable, the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, and a Cape Wind advocacy group, Clean Power Now, according to Cape Wind President Jim Gordon.
Cape Wind appeared to be heading toward construction last week when the National Park Service declared Nantucket Sound, the proposed site of the wind farm, to be eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. That ruling was prompted by recent complaints from the Wampanoag tribes. Immediately after the National Park Service ruling, Salazar stepped in to arrange today’s meeting.
According to Gordon, Salazar told the sides to work out their differences by March 1 or be prepared for him to make a final ruling. Salazar had previously expressed similar sentiments on the subject.
“If an agreement among the parties can’t be reached, I will be prepared to take the steps necessary to bring the permit process to conclusion,” Salazar said last week.
Salazar has often propounded on the benefits of renewable energy sources, and Gordon was optimistic that a Salazar ruling would be in Cape Wind’s favor.
“We are convinced that when Secretary Salazar has the complete record before him that the verifiable public benefits of creating jobs, greater energy independence, cleaner air and mitigating climate change will far outweigh any perception of negative impacts.” Gordon said.
One potential concern for Cape Wind is the financial toll that nine years of waiting had taken on the project. When asked to estimate the total cost of the project, Gordon declined to answer, stating that the information was “proprietary.” He did say, however, that if the project receives approval it will be “ready to go.”
13. January 2010 at 10:29 pm
Let’s hope that Cape Wind gets to move forward with their 130-turbine wind farm. Secretary Salazar has the power to move this green, eco-friendly project forward: the “visual disruption” is minimal and the Cape Wind developers have done a great deal to minimize the environmental and aesthetic effects of the turbines.
If you are interested in wind energy, check out http://www.greencollareconomy.com. It has hundreds of case studies on emerging green technology and wind farms. It’s also the largest b2b green directory on the web.
14. January 2010 at 8:33 am
-MR. SALAZAR- DO THE RIGHT THING AND DENY CAPE WIND ONCE AND FOR ALL-
It is incredible that it has taken the federal government over 8 years to figure out that this private developer’s deadly and potentially devastating industrial wind plant should be denied.
The Wampanoag Tribes have been telling MMS for over 8 years, that the site for this industrial plant is in the middle of their ancient burial grounds. This site could not be more personal to the tribes hearts and souls.
The FAA has issued a “Determination of Hazard” on the 44 story project located in the middle of 400,000 flights a year. The USCG has told the Massachusetts Fisherman’s Partnership that they will no longer be allowed to fish these rich waters.
This so called “clean” wind plant has a 43,000 gallon transformer substation planned for the middle of the fishing grounds. Cape Wind’s own OIL SPILL FATALITY MAP shows that the transformer oil has a 90% chance of hitting our coastline in 4.8 hours.
For 8 years, the good people of the Cape and Islands have been fighting to protect our heritage, waterways, airways and way of life against the decimation this private developers subsidized wind plant would leave. The developer has allegedly spent $30,000,000 of his own money on the chance that he can make billions while destroying the Cape and Islands. The citizens of the Cape and Islands have donated over $20,000,000 to protect the sanctity and the beauty of these beaches, water and airways.
Nantucket Sound, is the heart and soul and economic engine of our Cape and Islands. It is the church and sacred burial grounds of the first people who welcomed us to America.
What kind of government federally recognizes the sovereign rights of one of America’s oldest tribes, then allows a private developer to excavate their ancestral burial grounds and build a steel forest in the middle of their church?
Mr. Salazar, you have every reason to deny this project. You now know in your heart it is the wrong place for profit’s sake only.
For the sake of the Wampanoag’s traditions and religious rights and the safety respect of the seafaring heritage of the people of the Cape and Islands,… please do the right thing and deny this doomed project once and for all.
14. January 2010 at 10:55 pm
I think that now is the time to look forward to every possible solution to the looming energy crisis. Unfortunately, for the tribes this means going forward with Cape Wind. If by looking backwards we are denying life-giving solutions for ourselves and future generations we must amend our thinking.
I’m not trying to say that honoring our past is wrong or obsolete, however if we are denying opportunities to the future because of the past we are mistaken.
29. January 2010 at 9:11 am
What ever happened to the concept “fair return for the use of our resources”, Section 388 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005?, Jim Gordon has no manufacturing source for his discontinued GE 3.6 MW obsolete wind turbine. Who will build a manufacturing facility for obsolete turbines (now 5, 7 and greater MW)?
Jim is ready for stimulus money for a phantom energy project as it would take years for him to acquire offshore wind turbines. He project could not be under construction in 2010 as required “shovel ready”. And taxpayers have been funding hardware-specific studies, being conducted by 17 permit reviewing agencies, over a period of several years, of Cape Wind’s “discontinued” and obsolete wind turbine.
This is about public subsidies, not public benefits or environmental benefits.
Cape Wind is a Ponzi scheme. The truth is more strange than fiction. Even if Jim was a magician and wave his wizard wand, and 130, 440′ obsolete wind turbines appeared.
‘Cape Wind’s big secret power will cost millions more’
http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2010/01/07/cape-wind%E2%80%99s-big-secret-power-will-cost-millions-extra/