Cape Wind or Cape Windless

What are people talking about when they mention the horrible view that the Cape Wind Associates project will have for Cape Cod residents? Could it be that the closest simulated view point from Cotuit, Massachusetts at 5.6 miles from shore is simply atrocious to some residents. What about the renewable energy benefits of 75% of the Cape’s electricity being supplied by the non stop winds off of Cape Cod and the proposed 130 wind turbines? Why is the Cape Wind project stalled even though at one point in time it had an 86% approval rating from Cape Cod residents?

The Cape Wind project has been in and out of the news as far as its progress or lack of progress goes. From all accounts this seems to be coming down to a NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) mega watt deity with none of the perks enjoyed by Greek Mythology gods and goddesses. Massachusetts may still be the bluest of the blue states but when it comes to wind power projects it reverts back to the fossil fueled industrial age of power generation where you grab some stuff that will burn and boil some water to make an electric engine go broom-broom.

Cape Wind which was first proposed in 2000 has been in the development phase since the Corps of Engineers issued its initial impact study in November of 2004 and the NIMBY arguments have been going back and forth since. The latest gripes or approvals are coming from Indian tribes on Cape Cod where some are complaining that the wind turbines will interfere with important cultural ceremonies based on the sun rise and others argue the exact opposite.

President Obama, who ran for President as a pro renewable energy candidate, recently sent his Secretary of the Interior to the Cape to weigh in on the decision to finally approve or deny the Cape Wind project.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who traveled to Nantucket Sound Feb. 2 with his team from the Interior Department on what he called a “fact finding mission,” gave no hint about which direction the administration is leaning toward. On the contrary, in discussing the pros and cons of the Cape Wind energy project, the secretary said he is as likely to approve the project as he is to deny it. - Indian Country Today

Hmmm? I have a strange feeling that this project with all the environmentally sound positive benefits will still be in the NIMBY mitigation phase in 2020, 2030, and 2050. The “he said, she said” banter regarding the Cape Wind Associates project will continue long after someone proposes a “clean” nuclear power plant, builds the nuclear power plant on Cape Cod, and that plant is shipping rail cars full of nuclear waste to Nevada to be buried for a million plus years.

At least the view from the beach won’t be interfered with. Cape residents should speak up loud and clear if they are a WIMBY (Wind In My Back Yard) or a "Go Nukes" proponent. I'm curious to see which view the folks on Cape Cod finally end up with for their electric energy needs.

Papamoka