Word on the street is that Minerals Management Service, the head federal permitting authority for Cape Wind, plans to release its Final Environmental Impact Statement for Cape Wind on Thursday.

This would coincide with the release of the Coast Guard’s recommendation to MMS, which was delayed last month at the urging of U.S. Representative James Oberstar.

The release of the FEIS mere days before Obama’s inauguration would put the figurative ball squarely in Obama’s court, as a Record of Decision cannot be issued by the Secretary of the Interior until thirty days after the release of the FEIS.

In December, Obama named Senator Ken Salazar as his choice for Interior Secretary.

The timing of the report’s release would bring the Cape Wind controversy to the forefront during the incoming administration’s first month in office, providing the first real test of Obama’s energy policy.

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