Salazar’s Backing Gives Cape Wind Momentum

By Curt Nickisch (@CurtNickisch)
Apr 20, 2011, 6:49 AM
12 Comments

A map view of the proposed Cape Wind site (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

BOSTON — First he gave the OK to the lease. Now he has signed off on the building permit. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar visited Boston Tuesday to give the go-ahead to Cape Wind Associates to start construction of the nation’s first offshore wind farm this fall.

Salazar gave the nod of his trademark cowboy hat to begin construction. Construction, he said, that will only be the beginning of offshore wind development off the East Coast.

“We are in the process of making believers out of skeptics of offshore wind. And this is one of the reasons why this project here is so important,” Salazar said.

Strong backing from Salazar and from state government has given Cape Wind big momentum. Opposition groups have filed nearly a dozen lawsuits to hold up the wind energy project, even as they’ve been shifting more of their attention from environmental objections to economic ones.

Peter Rothstein, Of The New England Clean Energy Council, On Approval

“This project is a bad deal for Massachusetts ratepayers,” said Audra Parker, with the Alliance to Save Nantucket Sound.

Cape Wind has agreed to sell half of its power to National Grid. The Massachusetts utility company said the average household customer will pay about $1.60 more per month. But the other half of Cape Wind’s electricity has not been sold yet.

Dennis Duffy, an executive with Cape Wind Associates, said that’s an open question, but not one that will be an obstacle to breaking ground later this year.

“Obviously we’d like to have it sold by that time, but I don’t think that’s a prerequisite. We’re planning to start by the fall, irrespective of what happens with other transactions,” Duffy said.

Duffy said he’s confident Cape Wind will be able to sell all of its power. So far, the other big Massachusetts utility company, NSTAR, has given Cape Wind the cold shoulder.

More:

Earlier: Feds OK Building Plan For Cape Wind

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gardenia

I am so pleased that Cape Wind finally has the permits it needs to start construction. It will prove to be safe and financially feasible. I suspect that the most vehement objectors are fussing about their view of the ocean, which will still be beautiful. We must move away from oil ASAP.
Psingley

EXCELLENT!!!!!! I’m happy to pay a bit more to get us off the carbon (coal, oil, gas) rollercoaster!
Jelun

I am all for wind turbines providing a sustainable form of energy. The only way to make it economical is to go forward with development here, as with any “new” technology the price will come down with greater use.
My concern is that Mr. Salazar isn’t doing any better at vetting wind farms than he is at overseeing the improvement the requirements for granting drill permits.
I am sorely disappointed in this administration’s performance both in terms of regulation and transparency.
Poindexter

Everyone is for alternative energy. It sounds so romantic. We can cure all our ills with wind and solar power. At what cost? This is another sham rip off of government subsidies and a beautiful natural resource. The adminstration (Bush Lite) loves it because it looks like they are doing something about our lust for oil and carbon based energy. In reality each recent adminstration encourages more drilling, digging and further deregulation. If you take a good look at the facts and history of ocean based wind energy (especially this project) you will realize that it is all for show and profits of a few and not for any viable public good. Why is Europe, where this was pioneered now abandoning it? Wake up it is only a dream.

Alpappy

Where is the evidence that Europe is giving up on ocean based wind energy?

Poindexter

Everyone is for alternative energy. It sounds so romantic. We can cure all our ills with wind and solar power. At what cost? This is another sham rip off of government subsidies and a beautiful natural resource. The adminstration (Bush Lite) loves it because it looks like they are doing something about our lust for oil and carbon based energy. In reality each recent adminstration encourages more drilling, digging and further deregulation. If you take a good look at the facts and history of ocean based wind energy (especially this project) you will realize that it is all for show and profits of a few and not for any viable public good. Why is Europe, where this was pioneered now abandoning it? Wake up it is only a dream.
xray

Over tens years for getting a “renewable” energy project going. And its still not in the clear; there are eleven lawsuits still pending. No wonder we have had no new nuclear plants built in the last thirty years. The interveners and obstructionists are too powerful and its too easy for them to kill things. As a result, all our nukes are the old, less safe and aging plants. Its time we made it harder for the NIMBYs to kill our economy and jobs for frivolous reasons.

gary d

Based on recent nuclear disasters, more large nuclear plants may not be the best idea.
I can imagine more, smaller, containable plants might offer a safer avenue in terms of safety , being the most significant factor in things nuclear. Also the issue of spent fuel,
for which we STILL do not have a viable solution.
Cost is another item of concern. Think how many wind and solar farms could be created for the price of just ONE nuclear power plant.
Here we are now facing $4 a gallon or more for gasoline and diesel and many STILL don’t get it. It’s enough to bring one to tears.

gary d

So to the end we will have to drag the unwilling, uninformed, misinformed toward alternative ways to supply the energy we all expect.
Several comments make this so obvious.
Ignorance is a terrible blight on progress, making good ideas suffer in limbo while some labor tirelessly to bring us a sustainable future. Thats why government is so important in
these issues.
Anonymous

sooooooo slalazar is tryibing to build an english village out of the sea ,air water, jnugle……. freee… out …of .the blue……. whuiich ….energy ..is given. .by …..sun…..rain..sea….. …gbgbgb..jinkies…jinkies….gb.g.bg.bgbgbgb

fact checker

A clear well-reasoned arguement (not) for what?

mlkv

I can help but wonder if this is being done for private business interests through a government subsidy or being set up as a government utility like TVA is…???? I know that Tbone pickens and ted turner have been trying to get subsides for their private energy ventures rather than coming up with their own investor groups!