January 14, 2008
Interior Department Releases Study on Cape Wind's Environmental Footprint
Statement by John Rogers, Union of Concerned Scientists
CAMBRIDGE (January 14, 2008) – The Interior Department's Minerals Management Service (MMS) today released a draft environmental impact statement for the Cape Wind energy project, a proposed 130-turbine wind farm sited off the Massachusetts coast in Nantucket Sound. The agency's two-year analysis assessed Cape Wind's potential effect on 27 categories ranging from visual impact to aviation interference to fishing disruption.
Below is a statement by John Rogers, who manages the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Northeast Clean Energy Project:
“Since Cape Wind developers first asked for approval for their project seven years ago, the public has finally recognized that global warming is indeed real and there is an urgent need to address it both here in the Northeast and across the country. We especially have a responsibility, given that Northeast states emit more carbon dioxide—the primary global warming culprit—than all but six countries in the world. Much of that global warming pollution comes from the coal, oil and natural gas our region burns to produce electricity.
“Not only is global warming real, we are already seeing signs of it. And if we do nothing, we can expect dramatic changes in Massachusetts' climate over this century. We would experience a lot more extreme heat days, substantially affected winter recreation, lower cranberry yields, an impaired cod fishery, and rising sea levels that would threaten our coasts.
“That's why it is so important to develop alternative, renewable sources of electricity. And wind is among the least expensive and most abundant renewable energy sources available in New England today. Responsibly sited wind projects provide electricity without the dangerous global warming emissions that conventional power plants produce.
“Wind energy, like all energy sources, can have environmental drawbacks that we need to address, but they are generally more manageable than the problems fossil fuels cause. With proper siting, careful design, and comprehensive oversight, wind power projects like Cape Wind can and should play a significant role in the Northeast region's electricity system. We are pleased that the Cape Wind process is moving forward and look forward to reviewing and commenting on the MMS study.”
The Union of Concerned Scientists is the leading U.S. science-based nonprofit organization working for a healthy environment and a safer world. Founded in 1969, UCS is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and also has offices in Berkeley, Chicago and Washington, D.C.
