ACP Pubs

Joanne Ray

Cape Wind Project in Nantucket Sound
March 18, 2008

Cape Cod, Mass: The final public hearing on the federal review of the Cape Wind Project wrapped up in the UMASS Boston gymnasium on March 13. This was the final of four public hearings hosted by the Minerals Management Service (MMS), the federal agency responsible for the environmental review of the wind farm proposed off the coast of Cape Cod. After finding no significant negative impacts in their draft review, which was released in January 2008, the MMS is expected to issue a final decision on the project before the end of the year. More than 300 people attended a hearing at the Performing Arts Center at the Martha's' Vineyard Regional High school on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Cape Wind project. The proposed project to build 130 windmills across 25 miles of federal waters in Nantucket Sound has been working its way through the state and federal regulatory process since November, 2001. The subject has also split the state's top political leaders. Gov. Deval Patrick, who campaigned to make Massachusetts a leader in renewable energy, says the plan to build the nation's first offshore wind farm is a part of that initiative. "I support Cape Wind," Gov. Deval Patrick said during a recent radio interview. "It's not to say that there aren't thoughtful arguments on the other side, but on balance it makes sense." But Sen. Edward Kennedy, whose family's Hyannis Port compound would have a clear view of the farm, is among critics of the plan, who say the windmills would mar a pristine seascape. One of the state's leading environmental groups says Cape Wind will mark an important milestone. "This 130 turbine proposal is one of our nation's most promising clean energy projects," said Conservation Law Foundation President Philip Warburg. "Once built, it will immediately deliver emissions-free wind generated power to thousands of Massachusetts residents."

Posted by Joanne Ray on March 18, 2008 | Comments (0)