Cape Wind

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The Cape Wind Project is a $900 million proposed offshore wind farm on Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound off Cape Cod in Massachusetts (41°32′31″N 70°19′16″W / 41.542°N 70.321°W / 41.542; -70.321Coordinates: 41°32′31″N 70°19′16″W / 41.542°N 70.321°W / 41.542; -70.321) proposed by a private developer, Cape Wind Associates. If the project moves forward on schedule, it will become one of the first offshore wind energy projects in the United States.

The footprint for the proposed project covers 24 square miles, 15.8 miles (25.4 km) from the island town of Nantucket. The project envisions 130 horizontal-axis wind turbines, each having a hub height of 285 feet. The blade diameter is 364 feet (111 m), with the lowest blade tip height at 75 feet (23 m) and the top blade tip height at 440 feet (130 m).[1] The turbines would be sited between 4–11 miles offshore depending on the shoreline. At peak generation, the turbines will generate 420 megawatts (MW) 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, about 75% of the average electricity demand for Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket island combined.[2] It could offset close to a million tons of 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, which burns bunker oil and natural gas.[4][5] The Cape Wind proposal is distinct in that it would directly offset petroleum usage unlike most of the country where electrical power generation from oil is rare and coal power is more common.

Additionally, this project would decrease the amount of oil shipped to the Cape Cod power plant; fuel for this plant has been part of two major oil spills. The first was on December 15, 1976 when the tanker Argo Merchant ran aground southeast of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts spilling 7.7 million U.S. gallons (29,000 m³) of oil.[6] The second 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.[7]

Wind power map of Massachusetts. The Cape Wind site is in the red area to the lower right, between Cape Cod to the north and the islands of Nantucket, to the south, and Martha's Vineyard, to the west.

Contents

[edit] Current status

On June 20, 2008 the Barnstable Superior Court dismissed four of five counts that had been filed by opposition groups and by the Town of Barnstable. The fifth count was not considered ripe for a ruling since the matter was still pending before a state agency. Cape Wind received final environmental approval from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on March 30, 2007.[8] The US Minerals Management Service gave federal approval for the project on January 14, 2008.[3]

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 the 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 issued 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) was completed in late 2007 and a final decision rendered in early 2008.

The FEIS was released by MMS on January 16, 2009.[9] Construction is expected to take 18 months and be completed in 2010. Financing will be secured after a lease is obtained, some time after March 21, 2009.[10]

On May 22, 2009, the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board issued a "Super Permit" to Cape Wind [11]

[edit] 2006 election

Cape Wind was an issue in the 2006 election for Governor of Massachusetts. The winner, Democrat Deval Patrick, supported the project; his Republican opponent, former Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey, opposed it.[12][13]

[edit] Movies & TV

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 U.S. On December 6, 2003 the film made its world and Cape Cod premiere at the Lillie Auditorium in Woods Hole.

Satirical news correspondent Jason Jones of the The Daily Show has also covered the Cape Wind project.[14]

A feature length documentary about the Cape Wind project is currently in production by Rebirth Productions, with an anticipated release in early 2010. Entitled Cape Wind: The Fight for the Future of Power in America, the film marks the directorial debut of Robbie Gemmel.

[edit] Books

Wendy Williams and Robert Whitcomb have recently written a book about the project's history called Cape Wind: Money, Celebrity, Class, Politics and the Battle for Our Energy Future on Nantucket Sound.[15] In an interview, one of the authors states that the fight over Cape Wind is a case of a "a very small group of people, with more money than most of us can possibly imagine, who decided from the very beginning [...] that they didn't want it there, it would upset their Martini time".[16]

[edit] Controversy

Supporters of the project, led by the non-profit grassroots organization Clean Power Now,[17] cite wind's ability to displace oil and gas consumption with clean, locally produced energy and claim the project is the best option for much needed new generating capacity in the region. It would supply 75% of the average electrical needs of Cape Cod and the Islands. The Massachusetts Audubon Society conditionally endorsed the project in March 2006 as safe for birds, but asked for further studies.[18]

On March 29, 2007, Secretary Ian Bowles, Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Economic Affairs, determined that the Cape Wind Final Environmental Impact Report submitted on the project that the project adequately and properly complies with the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act and with its implementing regulations.

Criticism has come from the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound who state that Nantucket Sound is known worldwide for its wildlife and natural beauty.[19] In addition, they state that the proposed wind farm would be located near shipping lanes. The Cape Cod Commission has also sought to block the plan. The Massachusetts Fishermen's Partnership (a combination of several fishing organizations) has also spoken out against the project. Local fishermen are also nearly unanimously against the project, citing the fact that for many of them, up to 60% of their annual income comes from catch caught on Horseshoe Shoals, which they claim would disappear and would have to be replaced by steaming to fishing grounds farther out to sea if the project is completed.[20] Some who oppose the project are concerned about the corporate privatization of public property, referring to Cape Wind as "the right project in the wrong place". 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, Martha's Vineyard or the mainland 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.[21] This doesn't represent the view of most Massachusetts citizens in certain surveys: 81% of adults supported the project, 61% of Cape Cod residents supported it, and only 14% of adults oppose it.[22]

A 2007 public opinion survey found that more than four out of five Massachusetts residents (84 percent) — including 58 percent of those who live on the Cape and on the Islands — explicitly support "the proposed Cape Wind offshore wind farm that would involve wind turbines being placed in Nantucket Sound about five and a half miles from the Town of Hyannis." A June 2006 survey posed the same question and found 81 percent support statewide and 61 percent in Cape Cod/the Islands.[23]

A recent book by Robert Whitcomb, who is Vice President and Editorial Page Editor of the Providence Journal Newspaper, and Wendy Williams argues that the fight over Cape Wind involves a powerful, privileged minority imposing their will on the majority.[16]

[edit] Public opinion survey results

A 2007 Opinion Research Corporation (ORC) survey of 600 state residents found that nine out of 10 Massachusetts residents (93%) agree that the state should be "a national leader in using cleaner and renewable energy on a large scale by moving ahead with offshore wind power" and other clean energy initiatives. This statement is supported by 78 percent of those who live on the Cape and on the Islands.[23]

The 2007 ORC survey also found that 84% of Massachusetts residents — including 58% of those who live on the Cape and on the Islands — explicitly support "the proposed Cape Wind offshore wind farm that would involve wind turbines being placed in Nantucket Sound about five and a half miles from the Town of Hyannis." (A June 2006 survey posed the same question and found 81% support statewide and 61% in Cape Cod/the Islands.)[23]

In 2007, 78% of Massachusetts residents surveyed — including 61% of those living on the Cape and on the Islands — support wind as the best energy resource to provide electricity to Cape Cod and the Islands. Statewide, the support for other alternatives was as follows: nuclear (10%); coal (4%); and other (5%).[23]

Clean renewable energy is widely supported over nuclear power in Massachusetts, including on the Cape and on the Islands. Massachusetts residents would prefer to see solar power (91%), more energy conservation (90%), and wind power (89%) used first before resorting to more nuclear power. On the Cape and on the Islands, the views were very similar, with strong support for wind power (75%); conservation (81%); and solar (84%).[23]

2007 survey results were based on telephone interviews conducted among a sample of 600 householders aged 18 and over. Interviewing was completed by Opinion Research Corporation, for the Newton-based Civil Society Institute,[23] during July and August 2007.[23]

During the November 4, 2008 election, 87% of voters in eleven Massachusetts towns on the south shore voted yes on Question 4, a non-binding question that read:

"Should the state representative from this district be instructed to vote in favor of legislation that would support the development of Cape Wind in Nantucket Sound and other possible future onshore and offshore wind power developments in Massachusetts?"

The measure was included on the ballots in the towns of Braintree, Holbrook, Randolph, Cohasset, Hingham, Hull, Marshfield, Scituate, Hanover, Norwell, and Rockland.[24]

[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 feet 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.[25] In February, 2008, state law was amended removing a prohibition on the construction of electrical generating facilities within ocean sanctuaries.[26]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Cape Wind :: America's First Offshore Wind Farm on Nantucket Sound
  2. ^ PowerPoint Presentation (PDF)
  3. ^ a b Cape Wind website. Retrieved on 2009-05-12.
  4. ^ "Canal Generating Plant". Mirant Corporation. http://www.mirant.com/our_business/where_we_work/canal.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-12. 
  5. ^ Leaning, John (July 4, 2004). "Report: Wind farm could ease gas demand". Cape Cod Times. http://www.capecodonline.com/special/windfarm/reportwind4.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-12. 
  6. ^ Draffan, George. "Major Oil Spills". Endgame Research. http://www.endgame.org/oilspills.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-12. 
  7. ^ LaPlante, Joseph R.. "Bouchard under fire for 'outrageous' actions". The Standard-Times. http://www.southcoasttoday.com/daily/03-06/03-15-06/02topstories.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-12. 
  8. ^ Ebbert, Stephanie (March 31, 2007). "Cape Wind moves on to federal review". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/03/31/cape_wind_moves_on_to_federal_review/. Retrieved 2009-05-12. 
  9. ^ Off Shore Minerals Managment
  10. ^ Key hurdles cleared, Cape Wind ready to rev up
  11. ^ Key Wind Farm Permits Approved retrieved 4 June 2009
  12. ^ "Patrick says Healey is blocking state's renewable energy growth". Cape Cod Today. Sep 09, 2006. http://www.capecodtoday.com/news506.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-12. 
  13. ^ "Renewable Energy Revolution". Cape Cod Today. http://www.capecodtoday.com/blogs/index.php/Revolution. Retrieved 2009-05-12. 
  14. ^ Jones, Jason (August 7, 2007). "Nantucket". The Daily Show. http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/player.jhtml?ml_video=91140&is_large=true. Retrieved 2009-05-12. 
  15. ^ Whitcomb, Robert; Wendy M. Williams, Robert F. Whitcomb (2007). Cape Wind, Money, Celebrity, Class, Politics, and the Battle for Our Energy Future on Nantucket Sound. Public Affairs. p. 326. ISBN 9781586483975. 
  16. ^ a b The Saga Behind Cape Wind; Growing Opportunities in the Renewable Energy Sector
  17. ^ Clean Power Now. Retrieved on 2009-05-12.
  18. ^ Daley, Beth (March 29, 2006). "Audubon review supports wind farm". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/03/29/audubon_review_supports_wind_farm/. Retrieved 2009-05-12. 
  19. ^ "Nantucket Sound". Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound. 2007. http://www.saveoursound.org/site/PageServer?pagename=NantucketSound_TheSound. Retrieved 2009-05-12. 
  20. ^ Ebbert, Stephanie (November 21, 2007). "Cape Wind appeals ruling that blocked wind farm in Nantucket Sound". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2007/11/cape_wind_appea.html. Retrieved 2009-05-12. 
  21. ^ Kennedy, Robert Jr. (December 16, 2005). "An Ill Wind Off Cape Cod". The New York Times. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0D1EF734550C758DDDAB0994DD404482. Retrieved 2009-05-12. 
  22. ^ Conte, Frank (September 1, 2006). "Cape Wind Has Powerful Critics, Supporters". Budget & Tax News. The Heartland Institute. http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=19667. Retrieved 2009-05-12. 
  23. ^ a b c d e f g Survey: Leadership on Cape Wind, Other Clean Energy Solutions to Global Warming Seen as Path to New 'Massachusetts Miracle'
  24. ^ "Cape Wind Wins 87% of Vote in Ballot Question". Cape Wind Associates. November 6, 2008. http://www.capewind.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=919. Retrieved 2009-05-12. 
  25. ^ Buzzards Bay Wind Farm Proposed
  26. ^ Proposed Wind Farms in Buzzards Bay

[edit] External links

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