The federal government's Minerals Management Service did the entirely expected today, and passed Cape Wind in its environmental impact statement:
Analysis finds impacts are expected to be mostly negligible or minor; some moderate impacts were found.
Duh.
So, as Clean Power Now asks in their press release — where are Kennedy, Kerry and Markey? Kerry and Markey both said their support was contingent upon a full environmental review process, yadda yadda yadda.
Now that this project has earned its “Good Housekeeping seal of approval” we expect our elected leaders to fulfill their promise to support this project once that regulatory process is completed. That day is today and we welcome Senator Kennedy, Senator Kerry, and Congressman Markey to add their voices to the overwhelming majority of people in Massachusetts who support Cape Wind.
Congressman Markey has stated “As long as Cape Wind passes the environmental review, I'm in favor of this project.”
Yeah, so … Are we done with the freakin' kabuki yet?
update: More from the Globe:
Calling his agency’s report “ a milestone,” Minerals Management Service Director Randall Luthi said in a telephone interview this morning that Cape Wind could become “a bellweather for many offshore wind projects to come.”
“The impacts appear to be nothing that cannot be mitigated,” Luthi said of the project to erect 130 turbines in Nantucket Sound.
… and, I should have pasted the contact info, thanks stomv:
Senator Kennedy's Contact Information:
Washington D.C. Office:
(202) 224-4543
Boston Office:
(617) 565-3170
(877) 472-9014
Senator Kerry's Contact Information:
Boston Office:
(617) 565-8519
Fall River Office:
(508) 677-0522
Springfield Office:
(413) 785-4610
Washington D.C. Office:
(202) 224-2742
Congressman Markey's Contact Information:
Medford Office:
(781)-396-2900
Framingham Office:
(508)-875-2900
Washington D.C. Office:
(202)-225-2836
They both said they’d support the project once it cleared it’s environmental reviews.
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p>Cape Wind seems to have all its ducks in a row. It’s time for Senators Kennedy and Kerry and Rep Markey to publicly support the project.
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p>Perhaps a reminder would help.
<
p>
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p>Senator Kennedy’s Contact Information:
Washington D.C. Office:
(202) 224-4543
Boston Office:
(617) 565-3170
(877) 472-9014
<
p>Senator Kerry’s Contact Information:
Boston Office:
(617) 565-8519
Fall River Office:
(508) 677-0522
Springfield Office:
(413) 785-4610
Washington D.C. Office:
(202) 224-2742
<
p>Congressman Markey’s Contact Information:
Medford Office:
(781)-396-2900
Framingham Office:
(508)-875-2900
Washington D.C. Office:
(202)-225-2836
The people who have to see the wind farm every day should have priority on whether it gets built. Every generation has another graduate school experiment inflicted on our surroudings by people who do not care about our visual environment.
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p>Wind power is asking for government funding as far as the eye can see,
1. special tax breaks from the state while the public schools are slashed,
2. government bailout money buying turbines,
3. government mandate of buying their more expensive power
4. and general steamrolling of people who don’t want disruptive windmills around them.
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p>If there is no other way to protect our visual environment from radical wind power fanatics than to side with rich people then I’m with the rich on this.
My God — can you possibly be serious? A better statement of the NIMBY principle I can scarcely imagine.
Just not the part time Hyannisport resident.
<
p>David – do YOU have any feel for how the project will fare under Obama? Kennedy, Delahunt, et al, have stalled and fought the project for 7 years – what will happen with a fellow Democrat in the white House, appointing the MMS director?
In the first instance, it’ll be up to Ken Salazar, who hopefully will be interior secretary 30 days from now, right? In any event, it’s all speculation at this point — Obama has allies on all sides of the issue (Patrick is for it; Kennedy and Delahunt are against; Markey seems to be in the middle but I think will end up weakly for).
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p>Given how much Obama has talked about clean energy, I’d be very surprised and disappointed if his administration didn’t back Cape Wind. My prediction is that he supports it, but that’s not rooted in much of anything.
People in Southie shouldn’t have to look at the giant pink power plant. I shouldn’t have had to look at the Mass Pike from my kitchen window for five years. Oh, and all those damned telephone poles ruining my view of the park — chop ’em down.
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p>BTW
<
p>1. The funding for wind turbines has nothing to do with the funding for schools.
2. Gov’t bailout money for wind power helps with environment and foreign policy and balance of trade. Gov’t bailout money for other things? Not so much. Then, there’s the middle class jobs created…
3. Actually, no. The most expensive power financially is nuclear if all financial costs and subsidies are included. If you want to include externalities, oil and coal likely compete. If you want to include visual impact, I’d argue that coal power has a much more harmful impact on the view — ever seen an open pit coal mine? Wind power is substantially competitive over a 10 year horizon, especially with low interest rates driving down the cost of capital [if you can get a loan, that is].
4. Steamrolling? Cape Wind is favored by something like 2:1 on Cape and Islands. I’d hardly call that steamrolling.
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p>P.S. Nothing says “protect our visual environment” like fly ash, soot, mercury, smog, fine particulate, and God knows what else come out from the smokestacks of coal, natural gas, and oil fired power plants.
I drive by a prison every day. It’s pretty ugly. We should release the prisoners so that I don’t have to look at it.
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p>–
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p>Also, for non-visual concerns, stomv omitted carbonic acid: H2O + CO2 => H2CO3 => H+ + HCO3-
<
p>Yes, in addition to trapping heat in the atmosphere, carbon dioxide is a weak acid. Although the oceans have tremendous capacity to buffer additional acid, doing so happens on timescales of 1,000’s of years, and we’re dumping CO2 into the ocean really, really, really fast. So oceanic pH will drop as long as we keep up the status quo- you can take that to the bank.
<
p>So: If you enjoy shellfish, eat up. Those shells are made of calcium carbonate, and guess what happens to calcium carbonate when you lower the pH? It dissolves.
for selected weekends and weeks during the summer. Maybe they can ask for the Lear captain to loop around to avoid the visual desecration…
Having grown up on Cape Cod bay. I would not have one of these farms in the bay. Nantucket sound is beautifull. I know one of the people who is director of Cape Wind. They do not care one bit about the environment. They are the equivalent of wall street types. The almighty buck comes first and foremost. They are tapping into people’s sensibilities from 2 perspectives 1.) the price of oil…so you gotta have wind power 2.) this will reduce your electric bill because they are gonna send it back to the Cape. All bull their power goes into the grid…it does not have a label that says this electric power was produced by Cape Wind for Cape Cod send it back. There for your bill will not go down. They want you to think you have “bragging rights” our power comes from wind. Well
guess what you are already getting wind power from other
wind farms in New England.
I am so glad that today we are all one step closer to securing the many benefits of this project! It is a huge victory for Cape Cod, for MA, and for our nation (and planet!) Hopefully these representatives keep their words and come out in support. Kennedy has all ready issued a negative statement “”I do not believe that this action by the Interior Department will be sustained,” Kennedy said in a statement. “By taking this action, the Interior Department has virtually assured years of continued public conflict and contentious litigation.” (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gchFaktICm_vdDZ08iFn2IvJPUhAD95ODVOO0) So everyone be sure to call his offices (contact info above!) and tell him we want Cape Wind and we want it NOW!
Caught between a rock (Senator Kennedy) and a hard place (Governor Patrick), he must make a choice. Advice: Do the right thing!
People think this project is the greatest thing since sliced bread. It will change the visual character of Cape
Cod forever. They will not be specks on the horizon. There
are huge wind farms being built in Maine right now 159
Megawats of windpower is online already. The power gets
transmitted to the ISO New England grid (in Mass). Guess
what you alraedy have clean power and you don’t even know it. With all of the other areas in New England to build
these farms. Why on this green earth would you scar one of
the most unique natural areas of the country so a few people can line their pockets. When I was a kid on my way home from shool one day in Plymouth, Mass., I came down Pine Hill. The farm that was there had been buldozed. One of my friends told me it was for a Nuclear plant. Well it
was and that was the end of a beautiful rural area, with
a huge influx of people for construction, tearing down beautiful old homes. It took over the entire area. It felt like an invasion. Everywhere you drive now there are these big alarm poles. It had an impact on the whole town some
good some bad. In retrospect it was well planned and well hidden. But one fact remains…it didn’t drop electric bills and Nuclear is clean energy. I would think long and hard about what Cape wind will really do, again they will noy be specks on the horizon.
The People that are pushing Cape Wind have only one thing in mind…Money. They don’t care about the environment.
Did you know that the state of Maine is the largest Wind
Power producer in New England. This Week the Mars Hill wind farm went on line. These farms are in Northern New England.unless you specifically go looking for them. You do not know they are there. Mass also gets power from Maines wind farms, because they are on the ISO New England power grid.If you think for one minute that Cape wind will lower your electric bills then think again. They will be on the grid.they will get paid by the same power companies you have now. The most important point is, it is fine to criticize Ted Kennedy and Kerry for their opposition to this wind farm but the reality is…these will not br “specks on the horizon” as you have been lead to believe. They will be obtrusive and you will regret supporting this. Cape and Islands is one of the most unique natural areas in the United States. To allow a for profit group to put a wind farm in Nantucket sound is irresponsible. It is also along the migratory bird route. The tip speed of these windmills is so great that birds fly into then, get mutilated and they will be washing up on the beaches. There are plenty of great places in New England for Wind Farms. Cape Wind is a bad idea and the people behind it aren’t looking out for Mass they are again looking for MONEY.