Major report on Cape Wind project released

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.ack.net/windreport011408.html

Major report on Cape Wind project released

By Jason Graziadei

I&M Assistant Editor

The federal Minerals Management Service (MMS) released its long-awaited environmental impact report Monday morning on Cape Wind's 130-turbine wind farm proposed in Nantucket Sound.

Both Cape Wind Associates and its chief opponent, the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, are still digesting the contents of the massive document, but the executive summary of the report indicates the MMS review was largely favorable of the wind energy project. In nearly all of the potentially affected resources covered in the report, including water quality, marine mammals, aviation and boat traffic, recreation and tourism, the MMS summary concluded there would be only minor to negligible impacts on those resources.

The summary did state, however, that the project could have a "moderate" impact on coastal and marine birds, as well as views of Nantucket Sound from shores on Cape Cod and the islands.

...

[Warpy]

1. Yeah, those rich people don't want their view fucked up

That's the bottom line.

Birds aren't stupid. They'll eventually learn to avoid the area.

Rich people are stupid. They can't adapt to change, and seeing windmills miles and miles away is a change. That means they'll have to look at the view in another direction and they find that highly inconvenient.

Fuck 'em.

[cloudythescribbler]

2. Why don't they build wind-farms on LAND where it's MUCH cheaper, say in the desert of No Maine? nt

[FREEWILL56]

3. Because the land is more valuable and they would be in their face.

As it is, they will barely be able to see them off in the distance just as they saw the ships passing by in the distance. Gee, you'd think they'd be happy somebody finally took away the eyesore of seeing those ships go by.:sarcasm:

[jpak]

4. Cape Wind is closer to Beantown and Maine's LURC is debating 2 new wind projects today

If approved, existing and LURC approved Maine wind farms will have more generating capacity than Cape Wind (and produce >5% of the state's electricity by 2010) - and there are two more projects in the pipeline that will have a combined capacity of two Cape Wind projects.

Mass better hop to...

...and the Desert of Maine is prime coastal real estate nowadays....

[cloudythescribbler]

9. Hunh? Maine desert in in NORTHERN maine, and it's MUCH CHEAPER ...

to construct wind power onland, as well as less ecologically problematic, as RFK Jr, well-known NY environmental activist, has noted. The cost per KWH, INCLUDING TRANSPORTATION, is HUGE.

And at the national level, there's enormous wind resources in the great plains, like No Texas and the Dakotas.

For some reason, there seems to be a great desire to build a wind farm OFFSHORE and near Cape Cod. In comparison to other WIND sites (Me the closest as far as I know that is CHEAP and hardly occupied land)the Cape Wind Project is quite expensive

[oldhippie]

6. Land is more expensive than shoal waters, and water has a big advantage ...

It's flat! You get much better, stronger, more consistent wind over water than you do over land with terrain, trees, and other obstructions blocking the wind. Plus, you want the generating capability near the load. Transmitting electricity long distances creates losses. Just offshore from the load is an optimum solution.

[NNadir]

7. Which desert are you talking about?

Intellectual or physical?

I am aware of Maine's intellectual desert - it's laying under Mom's table, blitzed on Allen's Coffee Brandy - but I was not aware of any physical desert in Maine.

It doesn't matter how many wind plants are built in Maine. Nobody in Maine is advocating the phase out of dangerous natural gas there. The use of dangerous fossil fuels in Maine will only decline when it can't be obtained, beginning with the Sable Island gas fields.

If the forests are killed by insects or drought related to climate change, of course, there will be lots of dunderheads running around talking about the wonderful opportunity to burn wood, but of course, this will hardly be climate change gas free.

[OKIsItJustMe]

5. Simulated views of Cape Wind

Simulated view from Cotuit (5.6 miles from project):


Simulated view from Nantucket (13.8 miles from project):


Simulated view from Craigville Beach


Simulated view from Hyannis Port

[One_Life_To_Give]

8. Need a shot with Christies in the foreground!

One of his new Gas Islands with 4 wind turbines on top shown in the foreground. With a caption about not placing the 130 towers miles away would be perfect.