THE POLITICS OF OFFSHORE WIND

Wind energy decision carries political impact; Obama mulls turbine plan off Cape Cod
Joseph Weber, April 18, 2010 (Washington Times)

"…[T]he nation's offshore wind energy industry is about to find out which way the breezes are blowing…After nine years in the government regulatory mill, backers of the Cape Wind project off the shores of Massachusetts' Cape Cod will learn by April 30 whether Mr. Obama and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will let them proceed, with potentially far-reaching consequences for the industry if the project is quashed.

"Mark Rodgers, spokesman for Cape Wind developer Energy Management Inc. of Boston, said that the project is being closely watched because it is the first of its kind in the United States, with a number of other projects being eyed along the Atlantic coastline…Mr. Obama has made renewable energy a top priority - vowing to double the country's output in three years, supporting wind turbines along the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf, and putting more than $800 million in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for such clean-energy initiatives as solar and geothermal power."

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"…Cape Wind poses a particular dilemma for the administration. It was bitterly opposed by Mr. Obama's close friend and political mentor, the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, even though backers say the completed project could supply well more than half of the cape's power needs…[The Whitehouse recently declined] to discuss Cape Wind…and referred questions to the office of Mr. Salazar…[who] has vowed to make a final decision by April 30…Even putting aside the economic and ecological issues, the decision won't be an easy one for the president…Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, a Democrat and Obama ally, supports Cape Wind, even as Mr. Kennedy worked virtually right up to his death in 2009 to stop it.

"The federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation rejected the project…citing Cape Wind's "destructive" impact on the storied Kennedy family compound in Hyannisport and roughly 30 other historic districts and properties…Sen. John Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, has been publicly noncommittal, while newly elected Republican Sen. Scott Brown said he supports wind power in general but does not support Cape Wind…"

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"China and a number of European nations have been racing ahead with offshore wind energy projects…There are at least six other major U.S. offshore wind projects in development - including ones in the Northeast, the Great Lakes region and one off Texas' Galveston coast that is not subject to federal review…Advocates say the wind energy turbines could provide a new, affordable power source for Northeast states…

"Land-based wind farms have lower startup costs and present fewer technology and environmental challenges, which results in cheaper energy per megawatt hour. But the Northeastern U.S. in particular lacks sufficient space for major land-based developments. Though other offshore wind projects are much further behind Cape Wind…NRG Bluewater Wind has signed a 25-year deal with Delmarva Power to sell the utility as much as 200 megawatts of power from [a Delaware] offshore wind facility…While the industry will be watching closely the outcome of the Cape Wind process, NRG officials say, it will not be a make-or-break moment for the offshore wind energy industry as a whole…"