Oh Lordy, it’s just so hard to keep track of all the stuff that comes out of Healey’s mouth that, well, doesn’t happen to be true.
From Cape Wind’s press release:
[Healey’s statement in the debate:] “I strongly support the development of deepwater offshore wind turbines. I think they are the way of the future I am looking forward to the time that we can have those windmills out there, way offshore, helping us here.”
Reality: Ms. Healey neglected to mention Massachusetts will have to wait ten to twenty years before deepwater offshore wind projects can be commercially developed. The US Department of Energy is currently managing research and development of deep water offshore wind power in the United States they have consistently stated that this technology is ten to twenty years away from commercial development. The US Department of Energy has also stated that projects like Cape Wind that can be commercially developed with available technology now will help spur offshore wind development in the United States.
You know, when you say wind power would be great, but only 10-20 years down the road, that’s as good as saying you don’t give a tinker’s damn. Just say it, Kerry. You’re not fooling anyone. “F@#$ Windpower: Vote Healey.” There, didn’t that feel better?
Chuck Kleekamp has a lot more, with copious footnotes. (Hey Chuck — links are even better. It’s the internet!)
Update: Crap, there’s just even yet still more stuff that ain’t true from her. Can’t I go to bed yet? Here’s what she said in the debate about importing power from Canada:
“We have a transmission line directly from Quebec into Massachusetts,” Healey said in Tuesday’s debate in Springfield, Mass., according to a transcript on The Boston Globe’s Web site.
“I’ve already spoken to the governor of Vermont about strengthening that transmission line so we can have a new source, a powerful source of renewables coming directly into our state,” she said.
Uh, no we don’t, and no you didn’t:
A 450,000-volt power line enters northeastern Vermont at Norton and extends 52 miles before crossing the Connecticut River south of St. Johnsbury, continuing through New Hampshire into northern Massachusetts. [VT Gov. Douglas’s spokesman] Gibbs said he didn’t know if that was the line Healey was referring to.
“They did not get into any specific policy discussions,” Gibbs said. “But they did discuss the importance of working together on a regional basis to address these issues.”
Well, give Healey credit for knowing her ABC’s: Always Be Closing the deal, right?
Even if the technology is 20 years away, the financing won’t be. It’s necessarily more expensive than a place like Horseshoe Shoal, for two reasons.
<
p>
1. It’s deeper water. That means more materials and more man hours are required to actually install the dang thing. This is just common sense.
<
p>
2. It’s (generally) farther away. That means more materials and man hours are required to tether the things together with power lines, which are buried on the sea floor.
<
p>
The fact is, wind farms in shallow water just a few miles out are “just barely” economically feasible. Do you really expect them to be built in deep water when those kinds of installations require more up front capital?
<
p>
She’s like Bush selling hydrogen fueled cars and completely ignoring the stopgap transition of high MPG traditionally fueled vehicles, gas-electric hybrids, and PHEVs (plugin hybrid electric vehicles — like the hybrids on the road today with an electric plugin so you always start your day fully charged).
It will cost more. The price of oil and natural gas may cost more too. Gary and I had a little debate about the financing and physics of offshore wind projects about a month ago.