Cape Wind

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Offshore wind farm near Copenhagen, Denmark. Offshore wind farms are usually built in shallow waters in order to limit the risk of collision with a large ship.
Offshore wind farm near Copenhagen, Denmark. Offshore wind farms are usually built in shallow waters in order to limit the risk of collision with a large ship.

The Cape Wind Project is a controversial proposed offshore wind farm on Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound off Cape Cod in Massachusetts (41.543° N 70.321° W). If the project moves forward on schedule, it would become one of the first offshore wind farms in the United States.

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[edit] Overview

Cape Wind is a $900 million renewable energy project proposed by a private developer, Cape Wind Associates. The project will build the first offshore wind energy plant in the United States. If constructed, it would also be the largest such project to date.

The footprint for the proposed project covers 24 square miles, 13.8 miles from the island town of Nantucket. The project envisions 130 wind turbines, each 247 feet in height -- about 80% of the height the Statue of Liberty, which stands at 305 feet. The highest blade tip height will be 417 feet above the surface of the water. [1] The turbines would be sited between 4-11 miles offshore depending on the shoreline and would be visible on the horizon as half a degree high. At peak generation, the turbines will generate 420 megawatts of renewable electricity. This is enough to meet the needs of 420,000 homes. The project is expected to produce an average of 170 megawatts of electricity at any given time, about 75% of the average electricity demand for Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket island. [2] It could offset close to a million tons carbon dioxide every year and should produce enough electricity to offset the consumption of 113 million gallons of oil annually. [3]

Currently 45% of the Cape region's electricity comes from the nearby Canal Power Plant in Sandwich [4], which burns bunker oil and natural gas. [5], [6] The Cape Wind proposal is relatively unique in that it would directly offset petroleum usage unlike most of the country where electrical power generation from oil is rare.

One of the reasons supporters like this project has to do with the potential for less oil to be used or shipped to the Cape Cod power plant. Fuel for this plant has been part of two major oil spills, the first on December 15, 1976 when the tanker Argo Merchant ran aground southeast of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts spilling 7.7 million US gallons (29,000 m³) of oil. [7] Another oil spill occurred in April 2003, when a Bouchard Company barge carrying oil for the Mirant Canal Generating Plant ran aground spilling 98,000 gallons of oil, which killed 450 birds and shutdown 100,000 acres (400 km²) of shell fishing beds. [8], [9]

[edit] Controversy

Supporters of the project focus on its ability to displace oil and gas consumption with clean, locally produced energy as well as the project being the best option for much needed new generating capacity. Critics note that it will represent a comparatively small portion of Massachusetts's energy consumption, and point out the uncertain environmental impact of the project. The Massachusetts Audubon Society and other environmental groups preliminarily endorsed the project in March 2006 as safe for birds, but asked that specific further studies be done [10].

Criticism has come mainly from the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound who state that Nantucket Sound is known worldwide for its wildlife and natural beauty.[11] In addition, they state that the proposed wind farm would be located near shipping lanes. Other opponents include some prominent individuals who normally support sustainable energy. Proponents suggest that some of this opposition is motivated in part by ownership of real-estate on Nantucket or the Cape and that it raises issues of environmental justice. Robert Kennedy, Jr., whose family's Kennedy Compound is within sight of the proposed wind farm, wrote an essay stating his support for wind power in general, but opposing this project. It was published in the New York Times op-ed page on December 16, 2005. [12]

[edit] Current status

Cape Wind received final environmental approval from the Commonwealth of Massachusettes on March 30, 2007. [13] Federal review is still required.

Cape Wind originally applied for a permit under Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 with the US Army Corps of Engineers in 2001. The Army Corps eventually presented a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). In a public comment period, many Federal agencies, local governments, and community groups found the draft EIS to have deficiencies. Due to passage of the 2005 Energy Bill, the regulatory authority for off-shore energy projects has been transferred from the Army Corps to the Minerals Management Service (MMS) within the Department of Interior. Whereas Cape Wind had expected to obtain approval quickly from the Army Corps, this transfer of authority to the MMS has delayed the project. The MMS should issue a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) in the spring of 2007 followed by a 60 day comment period and public hearings. The Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) should be completed in late 2007 and a final decision rendered in early 2008.

[edit] 2006 Coast Guard Authorization bill "poison bill" amendment

Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) and US Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) championed a proposal as part of consideration on a Coast Guard reauthorization bill that would have banned any offshore wind project that is sited within 1.5 miles of a shipping channel, effectively killing the project. Young suggested that Cape Wind could pose a hazard to navigation. Kennedy was accused of taking a NIMBY approach as he has a home on the Cape. [14]

During conference on the Coast Guard bill, lawmakers agreed to a more narrow prohibition that would simply allow either the Coast Guard or the governor of Massachusetts to stop the Cape Wind project specifically. The break in the talks came after Republican Senator Gordon H. Smith backed the measure, breaking a stalemate.

The amendment has been attached to a broad Coast Guard authorization bill that faces floor votes in the House and the Senate, where its future remains unclear. [15] In a letter dated May 5, 2006, Under Secretary of Energy David K. Garman opposed the amendment on behalf of the Bush administration and said "singling out wind generation in this manner could have a chilling impact on the continued investment and growth of this promising renewable energy resource." (Boston Globe, May 6)

Powerful members of Congress and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney oppose the Cape Wind project. Governor Deval Patrick has indicated he supports the project.

[edit] 2006 Election

Cape Wind was an issue in the 2006 election for Governor of Massachusetts, with the winner, Deval Patrick (D), supporting the project and his opponent, former Lt. Governor Kerry Healey (R) opposed to the project. [16] CapeCodToday's Voting Guide

[edit] Movies

In 2003 a documentary film entitled Wind Over Water about the controversy over the Cape Wind Project was released. The film by journalist Ole Tangen Jr. chronicled the debate as it unfolded on the Cape. An independent production, the filmmaker interviewed subjects from both sides of the debate including Jim Gordon of Cape Wind and Isaac Rosen, then director of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound. Focusing also on wind power in general, Wind Over Water features aerial footage of the offshore wind farm at Horns Rev in Denmark and footage from various wind farms in the US. On December 6, 2003 the film made its world and Cape Cod premiere at the Lillie Auditorium in Woods Hole.

[edit] Other Cape Cod wind projects

According to a report in the Boston Globe, May 24, 2006, Jay M. Cashman, owner of a large construction company that built part of the Big Dig, proposes to build a $750 million wind farm in Buzzards Bay, about 20 miles west of the proposed Cape Wind site. The Cashman farm would be closer (2 mi) to shore and would consist of 120 turbines, each 450 foot tall. The projected generation capacity is 300 MW. According to the Globe, some opponents of the Cape Wind project have expressed interest in the Cashman plan.[17]

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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