7 Citizen Groups Endorse Wind Farm

Cape Wind Passes Major Milestone

Endorsements by these citizen groups: Clean Water Action - Clean Power Now - Conservation Law Foundation - Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group - Massachusetts Climate Action Network - Maritime Trades Council of New England - Natural Resources Defense Council - Union of Concerned Scientists

Above Cape Wind President Jim Gordon points out the parameters of his project which will occupy less than one acre of "water sheet" spaced over 24 acres of Nantucket Sound.

Thursday, February 24, 2005 By Eric Young

Cape Wind Passes Major Milestone as Review Period Closes.  Several environmental, labor and science groups highlight project's benefits to the public.

The Cape Wind project proposed for Nantucket Sound will improve New England's energy system, create jobs, protect public health, and combat climate change, a group of environmental, science and labor organizations said today.

Union of Concerned Scientists "Developing New England's renewable resources frees us from the risks and damage caused by coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear power while keeping money and jobs in our region. Offshore wind offers significant potential for clean, safe renewable energy," said Deborah Donovan, UCS Senior Analyst. "If the scientific, technical, and economic conclusions of the draft impact statement are supported in final report, UCS believes the Cape Wind project should go forward."

There have be several other stories about major citizen's group endorsing the project as the deadline passed. We have created a separate story here which includes the most prominent ones like Coalition for Buzzards Bay and MASSPIRG.

Quotes from the major supporters;

• Clean Power Now "The Cape Wind project has the potential to provide residents of the Cape and Islands with a long-term fixed-price electricity supply, which would be a tremendous local benefit," said Matt Palmer, Executive Director of Clean Power Now. "There is also a dire need for America to rapidly develop renewable energy sources. The potential of off-shore wind is vast. We can make Nantucket Sound the birthplace of our renewable energy revolution."
• Maritime Trades Council of New England "Clearly the Cape Wind project would offer work for our membership," said Dan Kuhs, Vice President of the Maritime Trade Council of Greater Boston and New England. "But this is bigger than the monetary value of the jobs. In building a cleaner environment for our children, we are really building a legacy."
• Clean Water Action "Quite simply, the choice is whether we want wind turbines in Nantucket Sound or smokestacks somewhere else in the region," said Jed Thorp, Energy Campaign Organizer with Clean Water Action. "And given the substantial public health consequences from our current methods of making electricity we must move toward large-scale clean renewable energy projects like Cape Wind."

  "Developing New England's renewable resources frees us from the risks and damage caused by coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear power while keeping money and jobs in our region. Offshore wind offers significant potential for clean, safe renewable energy"

• Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group "We started this review process with dozens of potential concerns. Now they've been studied and narrowed down to a manageable few," said Frank Gorke, Energy Advocate with the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group. "The Cape Wind project should be built as long as remaining questions about wildlife impacts are thoroughly addressed in the final environmental impact statement, and the project is carefully monitored and managed during construction and operation."
• Massachusetts Climate Action Network "By reducing the use of fossil-fueled power plants, Cape Wind would cut carbon dioxide emissions, the main cause of global warming, by one million tons per year, making this a vital project for protecting our public health and environment from the ravages of climate change," said Marc Breslow, Director of the Massachusetts Climate Action Network. "As a result, 83 public officials, clergy, unions, and other organizations have endorsed the project to date."
• Conservation Law Foundation "New England needs to build wind energy projects now to avoid the catastrophic impacts of climate change," said Peter Shelley, Vice President of the Conservation Law Foundation. "Wind is the only viable, large-scale renewable energy source in the region. CLF is committed to ensuring an environmentally responsible siting process for the Cape Wind project. We are optimistic that Cape Wind can be sited responsibly once the Final EIS reflects the suggestions made in our comments."
• Natural Resources Defense Council "The challenge of any project like this is to ensure it meets the need for renewable energy and energy security without creating new problems. That's the reason for such a rigorous environmental review," said Katherine Kennedy, Senior Attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council. "While Cape Wind's emissions and energy benefits are well-documented and beyond dispute, more must be done to address the Project's impact on marine wildlife. NRDC has recommended practical steps that Cape Wind and the Corps can take to answer any remaining questions and ensure that this project is a model for environmentally sensitive offshore wind development."

The following Groups have reviewed the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Cape Wind proposal and are submitting comments to the Army Corps of Engineers. Links to their comments are listed below.
Union of Concerned Scientists
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/renewable_energy/page.cfm?pageID=1650
Clean Power Now
http://www.cleanpowernow.org/images/downloads/CPN%20Final%20Comments%202.pdf
Maritime Trades Council of New England Email requests for comments to drk@piledriverslu56.org
Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group http://www.masspirg.org
Massachusetts Climate Action Network
http://massclimateaction.org/CapeWind/CapeWindMenuPage.htm
Conservation Law Foundation http://www.clf.org/programs/cases.asp?id=187