A computer illustration of the proposed Cape Wind turbine farm off the shores of Cape Cod. (Photo: CapeWind.org)Cape Wind, the controversial wind farm planned off the coast of Nantucket Sound in Massachusetts, cleared a crucial hurdle today with the release of a report from the federal agency that oversees it.
The Minerals Management Service, a federal agency within the Department of the Interior that oversees offshore energy resources, issued a long-awaited environmental impact statement for the proposed 130-turbine wind farm.
“We are going through the document now, and it does appear to be a favorable document,” said Mark Rodgers, communications director for Cape Wind, the developer.
The assessment outlines the potential environmental consequences of the wind farm — though it is not the final step in the approval process. Now comes a 30-day review and comment period, after which the Department of the Interior (under the new administration) will decide whether to green-light the project.
“We are very encouraged by all of the policy signals we’re hearing from the incoming administration,” said Mr. Rodgers.
Additional approvals are necessary from Massachusetts as well as other federal agencies, such as the Federal Aviation Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency.
But the issuance of the environmental impact report represents a key step forward for the project. It had previously been delayed by the extension of a Coast Guard review of the project, which happened at the request of James Oberstar, the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
Cape Wind has long been staunchly opposed by Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, who has cited navigational concerns. Turbines would also be visible on the horizon from Mr. Kennedy’s family compound in Hyannis Port.
Mr. Rodgers said that Cape Wind hoped to start construction of the wind farm early in 2010, with operations beginning in 2011.
Environmental groups, which generally support Cape Wind, welcomed the report’s release. “The nation’s first offshore wind energy project reached a key milestone today that will help spark the clean energy revolution in America,” said Sue Reid, a lawyer with the Conservation Law Foundation.
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speaking of EDR’s capabilities
— ja morrison