The U.S. Interior Department is seeking to reach an agreement over the controversial Cape Cod wind power project that would be located in Federal waters off Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
The controversial project has pitted shore line homes owners, ferry fleet operators, the Massachusetts Historic Office, and Native American Tribes that seek to block the project.
Approval of the wind farm would be one of the first large wind farm’s sponsored by the Federal government. It is viewed as a key component of the Obama Administration’s efforts to increase U.S. renewable energy sustainability, and in the creation of new high tech green jobs. The Cape Wind project aims to have 130 towers rising 440 feet above the waters of Nantucket Sound. The proposed $1 billion wind farm would provide electricity to about 400,000 homes, but would be within view of popular Cape Cod resorts and homes, prompting serious opposition from business leaders and politicians. The tall turbines would be arranged in a grid pattern in 25 square miles of Nantucket Sound, just offshore of Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Island. The Interior Department is trying to strike a deal by March 1 with the groups that have challenged the Cape Cod wind project. The U.S. Interior Department would like to try to resolve the issues that remain, but have stated that if no agreement comes before a March 1 meeting, they will go ahead and move forward with a recommendation to commence the project. Sustainable energy is very important to our Nation’s future, but at the same time, it must address the concerns of the citizens such actions impact. The Cape Cod wind project is important, and hopefully both sides can find a balance that would allow such a project to become a reality.
John Vlahakis
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