As leader of green economy, Obama should back Cape Wind

[Forkboy]

AS PRESIDENT OBAMA vacationed on Martha’s Vineyard this week, he had many occasions to look at the horizon. And if he didn’t realize that he was looking at the site of a major dispute over offshore wind power, activists on both sides journeyed to the island to remind him. He should also understand that he can play a key role in resolving it.

Neither Obama nor his administration has yet weighed in on Cape Wind, the controversial 130-turbine wind farm proposed for Nantucket Sound that could supply the electricity needs of more than 300,000 homes on the Cape and Islands. If Obama’s pledges for a greener economy are to be kept, his administration should not delay any longer the arduous process that began in 2001 to develop this clean energy source.

The proposed offshore wind project has sustained more than seven years of heated debate; political maneuvering, including some by the late Senator Edward Kennedy, a project opponent; and environmental review. It now awaits a decision from the Department of the Interior — the last major regulatory hurdle its developers must clear for the project to move forward. As the country’s first proposed commercial offshore wind farm, and the only project of its kind this far along in the approval process, Cape Wind could open the door for developers to harness the vast wind energy resource along the nation’s eastern seaboard. The approval could make Massachusetts the trailblazer of a power source that is an essential part of the country’s strategy to address global warming and to achieve energy security.

In January, Interior’s Minerals Management Service, the federal agency charged with assessing Cape Wind’s potential impacts on the environment, published a detailed report that found the wind farm would pose little harm to fisheries, birds, and other wildlife. The agency also concluded that developers could readily address any navigational concerns for ships and planes posed by the 440-foot turbines.

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2009/08/29/as_leader_of_green_economy_obama_should_back_cape_wind/

[Honeycombe8]

1. Teddie was against it. What side do YOU think O would be on?

I suspect he'd respect Teddie's wishes in the matter. But it's not Obama's decision, really, anyway. This is not a kingdom. It's a Republic democracy....some governmental bodies of one sort or another will be handling that, I imagine.

[Forkboy]

2. It was one of the few things I strongly disagreed with Teddy on.

I honestly think had he not lived there he would have been for it, and that bothered me. I'm not a big fan of the "We have to do something right away....but not in my backyard" mentality.


But yes, I'd be amazed if Obama deviates from where Teddy stood on the issue. I hope I'm wrong.