Cape Wind Gets Final Approval
April 30, 2010
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar gave final approval for the construction of Cape Wind, the nation’s first offshore wind farm on Nantucket Sound in Massachusetts.Salazar traveled to Boston on Wednesday for the announcement. He said:
The Cape Wind project, a 130-turbine wind farm, was first proposed nearly a decade ago, receiving strong support from environmentalists, labor unions and elected officials, including Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D). But despite polling showing overwhelming support from state residents, the project was opposed by a small but vocal minority of Cape Cod residents, who were able to mire Cape Wind in bureaucratic red tape. “It’s too bad it took nine years to get here, but we couldn’t be more excited to get started on the work,” said Boston Local 103 Business Manager Michael Monahan. “It means good paying jobs in an industry we love.” Cape Wind is expected to create between 600 and 1,000 jobs, more than half of which will be with the IBEW. Supporters also expect the decision to revive other East Coast offshore wind projects. Once operational, the project will generate upwards of 454 megawatts or 75 percent of Cape Cod’s energy needs. Monahan says he expects work on Cape Wind to begin in the very near future Approval of the project couldn’t have come at a better time for the wind energy industry. Despite the worst recession in decades, the market for wind power has grown by nearly 40 percent, according to the American Wind Energy Association. Said International President Edwin D. Hill:
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