Cape Wind vs. Save Our Sound

Signs lined the streets of Surfside Road before the hearing for the proposed Cape Wind project.

Photo Credit: Liz Huberman

Clean Power Now stands behind the proposed Cape Wind Project.

Cape Wind is recieving staunch opposition from the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound.

Selectmen Michael Kopko spoke independently about his stance on Cape Wind.

St. Paul's Rev. William Welles Eddy got up an spoke at the Cape Wind Federal Hearing.

Nantucket Selectment Whitey Willauer voiced his opinion on Cape Wind at the Federal Hearing.

Related Links

Alternative Energy

Cape Wind

Clean Power Now

Danish Wind

E.M.I.

M.M.S.

Save Our Sound

Wind Stop

The second of four public regional hearings on the environmental impact of the wind turbines proposed in Nantucket Sound was held Tuesday evening at the Nantucket High School. The packed Mary P. Walker auditorium was the stage for debate on an issue that, according to CapeCodToday.com, has split Nantucket. Sixty people got up to speak, 36 of which were against the wind farm. The meeting, which went from 5-9pm, began with a presentation from Mineral Management Services, a Federal Agency, and then followed with people from Nantucket talking about their position on the issue.

Cape Wind has been proposed by Energy Management, Inc. EMI and claims that they can provide emission free power for three quarters of Cape Cod, while having a limited effect on the environment and tourism industry. Cape Wind's proposal would build 130 wind turbines, each standing 440 feet above sea-level and drilled 85 feet into the sea-bed. Laura Wasserman, Director of Clean Power Now, said at last night's meeting:

"The question is, how can we expect to achieve the new renewable energy standards and carbon emission reductions mandated to us by the state, the country, and the times? This can only be achieved through utitility scale renewable energy projects like cape wind. We are on the Titanic, and there are not enough lifeboats. This wind farm is a great big lifeboat, and I think it's time we launched it and began this rescue mission, and it’s our island that is the Titanic.

She continued, "Nantucket’s currently losing land at a rate of at least 6 acres per year, according to WHOI….this is a very substantial loss and the rising sea-level is directly related to global warming. The number one contributor to global warming is fuel combustion & carbon dioxide emissions. The wind farm will displace 1 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, and it’s the most significant way we can stop global warming in our region."

As growing concerns regarding global warming and high oil prices mount, most people acknowledge the need to develop clean sources of energy. From the vehicles we drive, to the products we use, to reducing the amount of energy we use in general, many feel that putting up a renewable source of energy such as the Cape Wind turbines is a great place to start.

However, representatives of Save Our Sound, also known as the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, an organization formed to oppose
Cape Wind, argues that the proposed site in Nantucket Sound offers the least amount of
benefits and the most obstacles compared to other sites. The proposed area is in Horseshoe Shoal; other sites looked at included off of Monomoy Point on Cape Cod and southwest of Tuckernuck Island on Nantucket.

Audra Parker, Director of Strategic Planning for the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, claims that there are more issues than it is worth to put up these wind turbines in Horseshoe Shoal:

"Essentially there’s an economic threat because the Cape & islands' economy depends on tourism, it depends on fisheries, and it would be damaging to both of those. In addition, it represents a very high cost of power in the recently released document from the fed agency called Mineral Management Service; they showed that cost of generation from Cape Wind is two to three times than the going wholesale rates.

She continued, "Also, there are public safety issues: The FAA has issued a presumed hazard determination, and the Coast Guard has yet to issue terms and conditions for safe navigation. There’s a lot of concerns because Nantucket Sound is so heavily used by boaters, by ferries transporting millions of passengers between Cape Cod and the islands, because there’s so many local flights between Barnstable, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, so there’s a lot of very legitimate public safety concerns as well."

The debate over America's first off-shore windfarm has been gaining National attention and the public hearings will play a critical role in determining how the project moves forward. We can all agree that the future of our planet is in our hands, and that alternative energy sources are critical at this point; what we need most is to determine what is best for our community, for our planet, and for our future.

Please feel free to share your insight and comments below.

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A supporter of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound heads out onto the front lines.

Video

Nantucket Sound Wind Farm?

Members of Save Our Sound and Clean Power Now discuss the pros and cons of constructing a wind farm in Nantucket Sound. Take a look as we explore both sides of this hot-topic debate on Nantucket.

Video Credit: Roggg Woodruff