Cape Wind approval could help Maine
A controversial wind farm off the coast of Cape Cod has received federal approval after a nearly decade of debate, a move that Maine offshore wind advocates say could help advance projects here.
U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar yesterday approved granting a federal permit to the Cape Wind project, a proposed 130-turbine wind farm that supporters say could supply most of the power for Cape Cod's 225,000 residents, according to the Maine Public Broadcasting Network. The approval means the project could become the nation's first offshore wind farm, nine years after it was first proposed by developer Cape Wind.
Maine offshore wind supporters, including Habib Dagher of the University of Maine, welcomed the news, but stressed that any project being considered for the state would be different from the Cape Wind development. Current offshore wind plans in Maine call for locating turbines at least 20 miles off shore, meaning they would not be visible from the coast. Since Maine's coastal waters are deep, offshore turbines would float, rather than be anchored to the sea bed like those proposed for the Cape Wind project, resulting in less disturbance of wildlife, Dagher told MPBN.
Opponents of the Cape Wind project have argued the 400-foot tall turbines, which will be visible from the shores of Hyannis, would block historic views, endanger wildlife and disturb areas viewed as sacred by some Indian tribes.
Go to the article from MPBN >>
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