<\/p>\n
It’s been the mother of <\/p>\n “I am approving the <\/p>\n The $1 billion project <\/p>\n Local <\/p>\n Massachusetts Gov. Deval <\/p>\n Of course, other <\/p>\n And even now, it’s not Related Links:<\/strong><\/p>\n The politics of the Gulf oil spill<\/a><\/p>\n Oil burn operation begins in Gulf of Mexico<\/a><\/p>\n
\nall NIMBY battles, but now it’s closer to resolution: The Obama administration OK’d
\nthe nation’s first offshore wind farm in the Nantucket Sound today, with
\nInterior Secretary Ken Salazar making
\nthe announcement<\/a> in Boston.<\/p>\n
\nCape Wind project,” said Salazar. “This will be the first of many projects up
\nand down the Atlantic coast.”<\/p>\n
\nwill include 130 turbines off the coast of Cape Cod. It’s expected to produce
\nenough electricity to meet 75 percent of the demand on the Cape and the nearby
\nislands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.<\/p>\n
\nopponents—including the Kennedy family—have opposed the project during a siting
\ndispute that’s lasted more than nine years. They’ve argued that the project would
\ndisrupt the marine environment, mar ocean views, create too much noise, and
\nhurt commercial fishing. Many clean-energy advocates, on the other hand, have
\nargued that it’s an important flagship project for a fledgling industry that
\nneeds to succeed if we’re going to put up a serious fight against climate
\nchange. The result has been a public
\nintra-movement dispute<\/a> among environmentalists, the most prominent example
\nof wilderness conservation priorities and clean-energy infrastructure running
\ninto conflict.<\/p>\n
\nPatrick (D) and Ian Bowles, secretary of the Massachusetts executive office of
\nenvironmental affairs, have long championed Cape Wind and are claiming the administration’s
\ndecision as a victory. Bowles called the
\nannouncement “the shot heard ‘round the world for American clean energy.”<\/p>\n
\ncountries are already far ahead of the U.S. in offshore wind: farms are churning off the coasts of Denmark, the U.K., and other coastal European
\nnations. In fact, Germany’s first offshore farm was just launched<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nclear how quickly the U.S. will catch up. Cape Wind faces several more regulatory hurdles and court challenges
\nthat could take years to resolve. And
\nother offshore-wind proposals are likely to face serious scrutiny and
\nopposition too.<\/p>\n