That’s right! We are now officially live. We, the producers, invite you to join us and help fill this site with a vibrant discussion about the economic, environmental, and political issues surrounding offshore wind power.
If we take Minerals Management Services at their word, then offshore wind power is on its way. It’s up to citizen activists to make sure it happens correctly.
So please come, visit, leave a comment, start a debate, peruse the The Project page, and by all means, contact us if you’re interested in posting your own thoughts.
As is the usual around here, there’s been plenty of twists and turns in both the Cape Wind story and the making of the film over the last couple weeks. Luckily, you can now track us using google blog alerts. Just put in Cape Wind and we’ll start showing up in your inbox whenever we post. You could also follow us using our rss feed which is a less intrusive version of the same thing.
And why would you want to follow us? Look at the post below, in which James points to tomorrow as the date MMS is expected to release the final report on Cape Wind, gleaned from a source close to the process. That’s breaking news!
James also gets into the politic-iness of the whole messy scandal. He points to the implications of the timing, which puts the onus directly on President Obama as he comes into office. The significance of this cannot be overstated. The Obama administration will be holding the keys to whether the project moves forward. But remember the decisive turn in Obama’s primary run, when one week before Super Tuesday, Sen. Ted Kennedy threw the weight of the entire Kennedy political machine behind the young dynamo. Subsequently, Obama won major primaries and caucuses by slim margins in the heartland and Southwest - states where the Kennedy clan has planted it roots deep. The savvy which built the Kennedy machine always exacts a price, and what the final tally will be is unknowable at this point.
Caroline to the US Senate seat in New York, Robert Kennedy, Jr. to some role in EPA, funding of No Child Left Behind (don’t count on it)…I have to admit that this barely scratches the surface. What we know for sure is that Kennedy has a dog in the Cape Wind battle, and there’s reason to expect he’ll trade a little political capital to impact it’s outcome.
So, if MMS releases it’s report this week, all eyes will be on Obama and his new Interior Secretary, the moderate Sen. Ken Salazar of Colorado, who should have little difficulty in confirmation, being part of the Senate’s club already. Salazar supports renewable energy, but that doesn’t mean everywhere. He’s also a good friend of Sen. Kennedy. Cape Wind supporter Nathaniel Greene of the NRDC says Salazar should be a boon for Cape Wind, but we’re not so sure. So where does that leave us?
Non-Stop Action.
We’ll be all over this story for the next couple of weeks. It should make for some very dramatic cinema, even if MMS stalls again.
Facebook has an app that’s been out for a little while which is starting to gain attention in the fundraising world. It’s called Facebook Causes and allows you to set up a widget which people can plant in their profiles and tracks their activism. Needless to say, it fits our mission quite well! The Rebirth Team set up our account, sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative a couple of days ago and people a joining up quickly.
We don’t expect to make much in the way of donations, but as an organizing and recruiting tool it works quite well. You can monitor your own achievements as well as those of your friends. Currently Eddie and I are in the lead recruiting, but I expect he’ll overtake me soon. Join our cause by clicking here, and then start recruiting your friends!
That’s right! Cape Wind: The Fight for the Future of Power now has a home on cable television.We’ve still got a lot of work to do on the film, but this is a big step for us. We’re putting a full court press on the editing of the film and plan on having everything wrapped up and rolling out by the end of the year. We’re also currently developing a rather ambitious national outreach program in partnership with Working Films to accompany the film’s release.
Thanks to all who’ve supported us and in advance to those who will provide support in the future.If you or your organization is interested in learning more about our film and the outreach program we’re developing please contact me via info@rebirthproductions.net.
The lessons learned by the Cape Wind experience have universal applications, so no matter what community you serve or are served by, there’s something for you.
This morning’s Providence Journal takes a comprehensive look at the offshore wind race and is well worth the read: check it out here. As we’ve been saying since the beginning, offshore wind is huge - not just because the turbines are 400 feet tall, but because it’s worth potentially $50 billion over the next decade. Cape Wind is just the tip of the iceberg. The big story emerging from that potential is about the regional battle over who gets the first steel in the ground.
More than being a symbolic leader in an imaginary race, the first company to build will likely dictate where massive manufacturing facilities are set up, leading to a technology cluster around their operations, much like Silicon Valley or the 128 strip. This is why governors and legislatures are moving quickly to create favorable rules, tax incentives and public sentiment.
Anyhow, check out the article to get the full scoop, and stay tuned here. We’ll be releasing a new trailer for the film soon, but don’t tell anyone.
As Hurricane Bill and the Presidential vacation bear down Martha’s Vineyard — only Obama’s arrival is certain — the island is whipping into a fury. Residents and businesses are preparing for an influx of national press and paparazzi and anticipate a big economic boost after a disappointing June. With the Washington press corps coming, reporters are looking for a narrative to hammer all week. The storyline is already starting to take shape.
Much to our delight, the Cape Wind debate, which is omnipresent in the island community, is popping up in national bylines (see National Journal), threatening to steal some of the thunder.
And the rumors are abounding that activists will be all over the island from both sides of the Cape Wind battle, hoping to catch Obama’s eyes and ears. His visit serves as an apt reminder of how important his role is in the Cape Wind debate. Since January’s favorable federal report the Cape Wind project has been stuck in limbo, awaiting a final decision from the President’s Interior Secretary on whether it can move forward. The decision is expected to come in the next month or so, but the feds have missed every other arbitrary deadline they’ve set before, so the battlers of Cape Wind are going on the offensive.
Be sure to contact us if you hear anything exciting or want to meet us on the island and get yourself on camera.
News from the film as well! The new trailer, which we premiered at Silverdocs, will be posted here and everywhere on Monday. We’ll also be updating regularly on the shenanigans over the next week, posting pictures and linking to stories, so stay tuned.
No, I did not get drunk off of whiskey. That might have been a bad career move for my first week of work. I am Caitlin, and I just began working with Rebirth Productions as a Production Assistant. That means that I go along on many of the shoots, conduct research and coordinate logistics, keep the notes, help film, collect sound, make sure we don’t forget anything, and when we do, I go find whatever we may have left behind. And, occasionally, I’m the lucky one who gets the coffee. From my privileged perch, I get to see all that goes on in production, and then while the producers are cranking away with the editors (they’re doing a lot of that these days), I get to share with you what our production team is up to. Expect lots of updates from now on!
So, what do squid and whiskey have to do with this? I’m getting to that…
My first week on the job, we were filming the fishermen. Cape Wind Associates is hoping to build America’s first offshore wind farm on Horseshoe Shoal, and opponents to the wind farm claim it will disrupt fishing in that area for at least the amount of time required to build the project and perhaps longer. The chief fisheries that occur in Horseshoe Shoal are squid, conch, and scup. The squid fishery is the most productive, but it is only in operation for a few weeks out of the year.
In order to film the fishermen at work, Producer Dan Coffin pulled his weight aboard the Quitsa Strider, captained by Matthew Mayhew and operating out of Menemsha on Martha’s Vineyard. In his 24 hour trial, Dan became a fisherman. Sleep was replaced with hours of hauling lines, manning the helm, sorting through fish (thanks Division of Marine Fisheries) and hoisting crates. All that while he was filming the process and trying to keep squid goo off the camera lens.
But, there was a minor logistics problem: Director Robbie Gemmel and I needed the camera early the next morning on the Cape in order to film those same fishing boats from a helicopter before they sailed to other fishing grounds, off the shoal. So, we figured it out: the boat would land in Woods Hole near midnight to offload over 3,000 pounds of fish. We got a call from Dan a few hours before they docked. The message: bring a bottle of whiskey. I guess that the life of a fisherman is… trying. It is hard work and sometimes tough to make ends meet. I witnessed this firsthand at the Alliance meeting, and so did Robbie and Dan. A week earlier, I certainly would not have predicted that I would be sitting on a dark and isolated dock, at midnight, waiting for 3,000 lbs of fish and film equipment, with a bottle of whiskey. I will admit, Robbie and I tried not to get too carried away by the ridiculousness of the situation, and we saved most of the whiskey for Dan and the crew; they needed it more than we did.
I am no fisherman, but I certainly appreciate them, because I love to eat seafood. And, having driven hours to get to the dock when I should have been sleeping, there was no way I was leaving without some of the darn squid. After all, opponents to the project claim that the “premium quality” Nantucket Sound squid will be no more if Cape Wind is to be built. So, thanks Dan, for getting me some squid, just in case. I was told that meals on the road would be covered. I didn’t realize this is what was meant! And now, I certainly have a much greater appreciation for where my seafood comes from, and all the effort that goes into catching it.
Here is the final result of the squid spectacular when I got my payment home: behold the Grilled Sausage-Stuffed Squid. (Recipe here ).
Sausage-stuffed grilled squid fresh from Horseshoe Shoal
What are your thoughts regarding the plight of the fishermen? If the fishing grounds do end up being disrupted, and possibly indefinitely off-limits to fishermen, would it be worth it for clean renewable energy? Is the Horseshoe Shoal fishing dispensable, considering the ramifications it could have for the fishermen? What are your thoughts?
On August 12, 2010, we will host a SNEAK PREVIEW of the film at the Cape Cinema in Dennis, MA. Many of the key players – both opponents and proponents – in the Cape Wind story will be in attendance, and following the screening the audience will be invited to participate in a discussion of the film and the future of energy on the Cape and beyond.
More excitingly, perhaps, is that we will have several cameras rolling at this sneak preview, as the characters in the film watch themselves in what was for them a decade-defining struggle to either construct or thwart Cape Wind. Some of the footage from the sneak preview will be included in the final scene of our film! Yeah, the movie within the movie – pretty cool, right?
You might wonder why we are creating movie-in-a-movie. In my June 24 post, I shared how our producer Dan Coffin got a taste of life aboard a fishing boat. By interacting with stakeholders in the controversy and literally experiencing their perspective, we get an intimate and privileged perspective of all sides of the debate over Cape Wind. Ultimately, our goal is to inform the public by sharing what we have filmed, and compel citizens to develop an opinion on the matter. The best we can and hope to do is share with you, the public, and allow you to start making your own decisions – informed decisions. So, as disseminators of information regarding the Cape Wind project, we are further spinning the mill when we discuss the issues surrounding the wind farm proposal with virtually everyone we meet. If our film is in this way truly becoming part of the story, we hope that in addition to informing the public about Cape Wind, we can also help the various sides of the controversy find common ground.
The best part is going to be the grand celebration just across the lawn in the Cape Cod Museum, drinks and hor’dourves on us! And YOU ARE INVITED! If you’re interested in attending, sign up for our newsletter on our home page, and you willbe automatically entered to WIN TWO TICKETS to this historical event! In addition, since we want the most engaged members of the debate to be there, we will be giving tickets away to people actively responding to our blog posts.
As Hurricane Bill and the Presidential vacation bear down Martha's Vineyard -- only Obama's arrival is certain -- the island is whipping into a fury. Residents and businesses are ...
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