According to the Washington Post, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar journeyed out into Nantucket Sound on a Coast Guard vessel last week to signal the Obama administration's readiness to put some muscle behind wind energy. Salazar has to resolve a battle over building a wind farm on 25 square miles of open water of Nantucket Sound not far from Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard. The Post reports:
The nearly decade-long fight over whether to construct a 130-turbine offshore wind farm near Martha's Vineyard has spurred numerous state and federal regulatory reviews. It has cost millions in lobbying fees and has prompted an intense political debate on Cape Cod and in Washington, setting those who back renewable energy against those who want to preserve the natural beauty of Nantucket Sound.
With many other obstacles resolved, including the wind farm's potential hindrance to navigation and fishing and harm to birds, the tribes represent the Cape Cod project's latest challenge: They practice a sunrise ritual every morning on the sound and say they may have artifacts buried beneath the seabed.
The venture stands as a critical test of whether the Obama administration, which views investing in renewable energy as key to reviving the economy and combating climate change, can launch the clean-energy revolution it has promised voters.
Wind energy still remains a tiny player, providing less than 2 percent of the nation's supply. Although the United States leads the world in total wind capacity to its power grid, it ranks fifth on a per-capita basis. Last year, China outpaced it for the first time in terms of new installations and manufacturing of wind turbines.
In Washington, Gov. Gregoire faces the same dilemma with several wind projects. She just approved the Desert Claim Wind Project in Kittitas County near Ellensburg and the state's Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council is considering the application of the Whistling Ridge Wind Farm near White Salmon and adjacent to the Columbia River Gorge.
We need all energy sources in the future and cannot limit ourselves to areas or generating fuels. We must work hard to perfect them all to make them compatible with the environment and continue to conserve. The fact is the amount of electricity our homes, businesses, hospitals, schools and cities need in the future will only grow with our population.
As with everything in life, there are trade offs. Renewable energy is no exception.
Don C. Brunell, President (DonB@AWB.ORG)
