Podcast

Music Intro/Announcer: “This is a podcast from the U.S. Department of the Interior”

Ron Tull: Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar held a formal meeting in Washington on Wednesday to discuss moving forward on Cape Wind, a proposed windfarm in Nantucket sound. The permitting process for 130 turbine windfarm began nine years ago. Secretary Salazar has said it is time to move to a final decision and has set a timeline.

Secretary Salazar: “On March the first we will make a decision on how to move forward. In making the decision on how to move forward there will be two alternatives before us. One alternative will be to formally terminate the consultation which we have begun and then to move forward with the additional steps that will be needed for us to make a final decision on the pending application. The second alternative, or the second fork in the road, is that the parties who are a part of the Cape Cod Wind application will come to a memorandum of agreement that will address the adverse impacts that have been identified and will provide the mitigation measures that will address those particular adverse impacts.”

Ron Tull: Nantucket Sound was recently declared to be eligible for listing in the National Registry of Historic Places because of its cultural significance to tribes with ancient ties to the area. Secretary Salazar met with tribal leaders first.

Secretary Salazar: “I had a specific one hour meeting at the very beginning of the day with the tribes because I very much honor the commitment of the President and this department to a government-to-government relationship. And so I met alone with the tribes to hear not only their history, but to hear about their people, to hear about their concerns, to hear about their suggestions. So they had their separate stand-alone meeting.”

Ron Tull: Secretary Salazar says he will bring the process to a conclusion in the month of April after a final consultation and analysis of potential impacts on historic and cultural resources in Nantucket Sound. Ron Tull, Department of the Interior, Washington.