Jim Gordon: The Wind Farm's Most Visible Man

The "Invisible Man" of the wind farm debate is Doug Yearley

EDITOR's NOTE: In a blog entry on this newspaper recently, a new blogger who came late to the debate, charged Cape Wind's Jim Gordon with being the "Invisible Man" on the project. While most readers will know this only demonstrates a lack of knowledge about this half-decade-long debate, our correspondent Jack Coleman who has covered the Cape wind project for the Cape Cod Times and Cape Cod Today since its inception, felt constrained to set the record straight, which he proceeded to do in his usually thorough and professional manner. The charge was far from true because Gordon has made over sixty public appearances in the last four years.

In fact, the truly "Invisible Man" of the wind farm debate is the founding C.E.O. of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, Doug Yearley of Osterville (on right) who has raised tens of millions to prevent Cape Codders from getting cheaper energy and from leading the "Renewable Energy Revolution". Yearley has appeared nowhere in public during the long years of this crucial debate. He let's his money do his talking for him. Below is Jack's report. wb

While this doesn't top the list of Most Bizarre Claims By Opponents Of The Wind Farm, it's in the top five - and cracking that sorry echelon ain't easy.

Maybe you've heard the claim - that Cape Wind President Jim Gordon is a sinister figure operating only in the shadows, away from   the harsh glare of public scrutiny while consigning the menial labor of public outreach to minions like me.

Only someone who joined the conversation about 20 minutes ago, give or take a few weeks, could believe this absurd proposition.

Come to think of it, there is something to the claim, but it's been attached to the wrong person. The real Invisible Man when it comes to the wind farm is former Alliance head honcho Doug Yearley, who rarely spoke in public during the three years he ran the Alliance.

But when it comes to Gordon, the theory runs into a problem - reality. As in numerous public appearances, meetings, debates and interviews with the media. Here is a partial listing going back to early 2003, provided by Cape Wind, for a permitting process that began in the fall of 2001:

1. the half-dozen Massachusetts Technology Collaborative stakeholder meetings held in Hyannis in late 2002 and early 2003.
2. Randy Hunt's cable show in Sandwich, Feb.18, 2003.
3. a presentation at the Harvard Business School,  March 10, 2003.
4. a presentation at Boston University's School of Management, April 8, 2003.
5. a public forum at Cape Cod Community College, April 17, 2003.
6. a meeting with the editorial board of the New Bedford Standard-Times.
7. an interview with Mindy Todd of WCAI on June 3, 2003.
8. an editorial board meeting at the Nantucket Independent, July 3, 2003.
9. another appearance at Cape Cod Community College, July 17, 2003.
10. interviewed for the ABC news program 20/20, July 25, 2003.
11. a debate in Chatham sponsored by the Chatham Conservation Alliance, Aug. 18, 2003.
12. a presentation before the Nantucket Rotary Club, Aug. 13, 2003.
13. an interview on WMVY radio, Martha's Vineyard, Aug. 19, 2003.
14. a presentation that same day at the Whaling Church in Edgartown.
15. yet another appearance at Cape Cod Community College, Aug. 28, 2003, to donate $100,000 to help establish the college's renewable energy studies program.
16. a debate with Isaac Rosen of the Alliance before the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates, Sept. 3, 2003.
17. a debate at Harvard with Sue Nickerson of the Alliance, Nov. 19, 2003.
18. a public forum with wind power experts from Denmark at the Cape Codder Resort, Hyannis, on Nov. 12, 2003.
19. a meeting with the executive committee of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, Nov. 13, 2003.
20. a debate with Ernie Corrigan of the Alliance on the Howie Carr radio show, Jan. 5, 2004.
21. a speech before the Brighton Kiwanis Club, Jan. 14, 2004.
22. a debate with the Alliance's Sue Nickerson before the Environmental Business Council in Boston.
23. another meeting with the Cape Cod Chamber of Chamber, Feb. 19, 2004.
24. a rally outside the State House, March 9, 2004.
25. another debate with Sue Nickerson at Boston University, March 10, 2004.
26. a presentation at MIT, April 27, 2004.
27. an appearance at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative stakeholder meeting in Hyannis, May 2, 2004.
28. a debate with Sue Nickerson at Mass. Maritime in Buzzards Bay, May 21, 2004.
29. a debate with Sue Nickerson at the New England Public Utility Commissioners conference at the Ocean Edge Resort in Brewster, May 25, 2004.
30. luncheon speaker at the Renewable Energy Finance Forum in New York City, June 23, 2004.
31. guest on the "Mashpee Focus" cable show with Janice Walford, Aug. 10, 2004.
32. an interview on WOMR in Provincetown, Aug. 11, 2004.
33. took part in a radio forum on WOMR, Aug. 12, 2004.
34. interviewed by Glenn Ritt for Cape Cod Business magazine, Aug. 17, 2004.
35. an interview at the Provincetown Banner newspaper, Aug. 27, 2004.
36. a presentation to science students at Lexington High School, Sept. 22, 2004.
37. attended the Energy Independence Event at Harvard, Oct. 17. 2004.
38. attended the public hearing on the draft environmental impact (DEIS) report on Martha's Vineyard, Dec. 6, 2004.
39. the public hearing on the DEIS in Yarmouth, Dec. 7, 2004.
40. the public hearing on the DEIS on Nantucket, Dec. 8, 2004.
41. the public hearing on the DEIS in Cambridge, Dec. 16, 2004.
42. the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative's public meeting on the DEIS, Jan. 8, 2005.
43. interviewed for the Fox News Big Story program, Jan. 18, 2005.
44. spoke at Vilna Synagogue in Boston, Jan. 21, 2005.
45. met with the editorial board of the Cape Cod Times, Feb. 7 2005 (at least two earlier meetings were also held at the paper)
46. attended the Cape Cod Commission public hearing on the DEIS, Feb. 8, 2005.
47. took part in a National Public Radio "Living on Earth" debate with Sue Nickerson, March 13, 2005.
48. spoke at the Toxins Action Conference at the Wentworth Institute in Boston, April 2, 2005.
49. met with the editorial board of the Martha's Vineyard Gazette, April 8, 2005.
50. spoke to members of Massachusetts Climate Action, May 14, 2005.
51. spoke at the American Wind Energy Association's annual conference, in Denver, May 18, 2005.
52. interviewed on WZLX, June 8, 2005.
53. spoke at the New England's Energy Future conference in Boston, June 15, 2005.
54. appeared before the Maritime Trades Council in Quincy, Aug. 17, 2005.
55. met with members of the Massachusetts Fishing Partnership, Aug. 26, 2005.
56. took part in the Shaping Cape Cod's Energy Future conference in Hyannis, Sept. 22, 2005.
57. interviewed on New England Cable News, Sept. 30, 2005.
58. interviewed for NewsHour's "The Lehrer Report," Oct. 19, 2005.
59. interviewed for the radio show "The Point" on WCAI, Nov. 1, 2005.
60. took part in a debate with Ernie Corrigan of the Alliance on the Urban Update television show, Nov. 4, 2005.
61. the keynote speaker at the Power Gen conference in Las Vegas, Dec. 6, 2005.

Jack's list was written before Mr. Gordon was asked to address the Yale School of Forestry in New Haven last Thursday as part of a lecture series on "Corporate Risk Management and the Environment" as reported here.

Read Coleman's blog here.