We haven’t posted much recently (we’ve been totally submerged in editing!), but here’s a little video that provides a pretty comprehensive update on the project. It’s coming from the proponent side, but does cover the whole story:

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As you may have noticed, since Obama’s visit to Martha’s Vineyard at the end of the summer, Cape Wind has been hitting the national press a couple times a week. Even as the heat of the historic Congressional battle over healthcare is cranking up, Cape Wind is making it onto the New York Times editorial page and eliciting pointed British rhetoric in the Economist. Most of the recent attention is focused on the appeal from the local Wampanoag tribes to make Nantucket Sound a historic sanctuary, which would effectively stop the project and likely create a host of other commercial restrictions for the water body. The tribes have largely been sidelined in the permitting process and certainly deserve fair consideration, but I doubt that alone is the cause of all the recent press for Cape Wind.

I think what we’re seeing is a rapid ratcheting up of the emerging environmental/energy lobby, which has long pointed to Cape Wind as a bellwether for the offshore wind industry in America. In our own experiences at conferences held by offshore wind industry groups we’ve heard Cape Wind described as everything from a red herring to the holy grail, but this is a new meme – the national press corps hanging Cape Wind around the neck of climate change legislation. It’s been about a month now, and things are starting to get shook up.

The last we heard about the climate change bill was back in June when the House passed the Markey-Waxman bill by seven votes under duress from Speaker Pelosi to get the bill out of the House before the even more contentious healthcare debate was on their plates. The bill certainly has its flaws, the most glaring of which is the carbon trading portion, which is already being blamed for the next great financial bubble, but the real work is to be done at the end of this year in the Senate.

A couple of weeks ago President Obama stopped by MIT to start hitting the talking points, and many took his choice of location – MIT is a frequent battlefield for Cape Wind – as an indication he was finally going to tip his hand on the issue. No such luck, but it did raise the spectre of Cape Wind (intentional or not), as it’s the only issue all of us locals could talk about in the context of renewable energy, aside from the wicked smaht researchers at MIT doing crazy things with algae and batteries.

Following the President’s visit, with Cape Wind lurking in the subtext, and perhaps unfettered by the ghost of Ted Kennedy, Rep. Markey surprised us all yesterday when it was revealed he wrote a letter to Secretary Salazar pushing for approval of Cape Wind over the complaints of the Wampanoags. How is it surprising that Markey, author of the House climate change bill, supports Cape Wind, you ask? Markey has been a fun character in the Cape Wind saga for years now, and has been cited as the most stubborn waffler on the issue. He was the target of petitions, protests and radio ads, but he never waivered in his non-position, despite his key role in shaping this great country’s energy future. To put it another way, there may have been some champagne uncorked over at Clean Power Now and the IBEW.

We’ll have to wait see what happens next, but don’t hold your breath – this could still take awhile to unravel.

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Cape Wind has been all over the news in the last several weeks, and here I’ll do my best to briefly summarize them in order, starting with Obama’s Vineyard vacation, three weeks ago.

Obama arrived on Martha’s Vineyard Sunday via Marine One, and we only know this because of reports out of the White House. Not surprisingly, Obama made no mention of Cape Wind in between golf rounds, but there was plenty abuzz. Both the Alliance and Clean Power Now made it into a front page story in the LA Times which portrayed the delays for Cape Wind as bureaucratic lolly-gagging at the federal level. As opponents to the project would counter, there’s still a lot of questions to be answered. Anyhow, the piece is a great brush up on the Cape Wind state of affairs.

I mention the LA Times story first because it was written prior to the untimely passing of Massachusetts senior Senator Ted Kennedy. Kennedy’s legacy of fighting for Massachusetts, civil rights, women and the poor might never be matched, and his passing punctuates the painful vacuum of civility in our current discourse over healthcare. With regards to Cape Wind, his absence from the debate means as much as his opposition has over the last seven years. As the most outspoken political opponent of the project and as the whip which brought many of the state’s legislators in line with him, Kennedy’s departure opens the door for new voices in the political arena to take a leadership role in the battle, whether for or against Cape Wind. Based on comments by Kennedy’s nephew, Robert Kennedy, Jr., (starts around the 16 minute mark) last week, it looks like he’s poised to take that mantle on the opposition side.

The media is certainly playing the story up. I recommend checking out this hard-hitting, if not brassy, editorial in the Boston Globe on the day of Kennedy’s burial and a thorough Cape Cod Times story here.

Later the same week, Greenpeace showed up on the scene. I was filming some BRoll of the beautiful common at the shoreline of Oak Bluffs when I noticed some people handing out fliers to passers-by. Turned out, Greenpeace made a mock Martha’s Vineyard Times set in 2029 with one side praising Obama for approving Cape Wind and another side showing people putting up levees on the shoreline to combat rising seas. Later that day they went over to the marina and released the contraption in the photo below. As usual, there were a lot of raised eyebrows and plenty of explaining to people, all of which made for great film.

Greenpeace's Float in Oak Bluff's Marina - Courtesy of the Greenpeace website.

Later that day I stopped by the press pool which had taken over the auditorium of the Oak Bluffs School to see what was happening. Much to my chagrin, it was just a whole bunch of people plucking at laptops and milling around. Apparently when the President is on vacation, there’s not much for the press corps to do but wait.

They’ve certainly been busy since then, and I’ll follow up with another post in a few.

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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.

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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.

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For those of you familiar with the Cape Wind fight, you know that it hasn’t always been the stuff of tea parties. As a reminder that the cultural phenomenon of Cape Wind can get pretty weird, folks are now arguing over the legacy of “the most trusted man in America”. Yesterday, Walter Brooks, publisher and editor of the blossoming “online newspaper” Cape Cod Today, and ardent Cape Wind supporter, took Cliff Carroll to task over comments at the Windstop.org website about Walter Cronkite’s early role as unwitting spokesman for the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound

There was a lot of media coverage surrounding Cronkite’s statements and subsequent revisions, but the history is known mostly through anecdotes, which you’ll see in the film. As usual for Cape Wind, tempers are flared and the language is pointed. After all, if Cape Wind is about anything, it’s about the Future of Power in America.

See Windstop’s post at their homepage: windstop.org, and Walter’s reaction at Cape Cod Today: http://www.capecodtoday.com/blogs/index.php/2009/08/06/21st-centory-american-toies-sink-to-new?blog=69

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Massachusetts is gearing up for future offshore wind projects after granting the eight-year old Cape Wind project a “super permit” for its cable connection in Yarmouth in May. An ocean management plan was just released which identified coastal waters that “are suitable for development or require protection.” The plan is careful to restrict some areas, like Buzzards Bay where environmental concerns trump development, but it will have no affect on the Nantucket Sound location proposed by Cape Wind. After years of scrutiny and no wind farm to show for, the Cape Wind project still hangs in limbo as the state announced the new locations. Read more about the new locations at capecodonline.com

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In a fully anticipated move, the Cape Cod Commission (CCC) petitioned the Massachusetts Superior Court this week in an effort to overturn the Energy Facilities Siting Board’s decision to issue the “super permit” for Cape Wind. That permit effectively relegated the CCC to a bit role in the permitting process, taking away what had traditionally been the local agency’s jurisdiction. There’s no telling how long it will take for the lawsuit to play out, but we’ll be watching.

Opponents of Cape Wind for a long time now have talked about how the project will be dragged through the court system for years, and now we’re beginning to see that strategy played out.

If you want to read the whole account and get some backstory check out the Vineyard Gazette here.

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The site long mentioned by opponents of Cape Wind as a an alternative to Cape Wind’s offshore site has finally been selected by the state of Massachusetts for development of a sizable wind farm. Because it is relatively remote from residences, the site should have little opposition as the process for permitting begins.

Quoted from the Boston Globe:

The Massachusetts National Guard today announced a proposal to build a wind farm on the Massachusetts Military Reservation that would include up to 17 turbines and vastly increase the amount of electricity generated by wind power in the state.

As the first of many steps toward building the project at the 22,000-acre facility on Cape Cod, the National Guard has filed a site plan for review with the Federal Aviation Administration and the Air Force Space Command.

Depending on the size, number, and capacity of the turbines, the project could produce up to 34 megawatts of power, boosting Governor Deval Patrick’s goal to develop 2,000 megawatts of wind power in Massachusetts by 2020. Currently, 11 wind turbines across the state have a total capacity of 6.8 megawatts, according to Robert Keough, spokesman for the state’s Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

The plan has won the support of numerous elected officials, including Patrick, Senate President Therese Murray, and US Representative William Delahunt.
“Putting wind turbines at MMR makes sense both economically and environmentally,” said Murray.

The plan has also received the support of community activists who have vehemently protested the Cape Wind project, a controversial proposal to build 130 wind turbines in Nantucket Sound. “It’s something we’ve been saying all along, that you can say yes to wind, but no to Cape Wind,” said Audra Parker, executive director of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound.

Mark Rodgers, a Cape Wind spokesman, said the project had considered the reservation as a potential site but eventually rejected it. “We determined placing the same kind of wind farm there as we’re looking to do offshore could probably produce half as much energy,” he said. “That said, there certainly is good potential to do wind development at that site.”

Before projects go forward, the FAA reviews them to determine if they pose a hazard to aviation, said Jim Peters, New England spokesman for the FAA. Wind turbines, for example, can interfere with air traffic radar signals (a problem that has been raised with the Cape Wind project). If it is determined that the project is a hazard, the FAA will provide a list of ways to mitigate the hazard in order to move forward, Peters said.

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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.

Thanks,
Dan

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Following President Obama’s announcement of a finalized framework for renewable energy production on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), responses were jubilant in looking toward the future.

President Obama noted in his speech at a wind turbine factory in Iowa, “It is estimated that if we fully pursue our potential for wind energy—both on land and offshore—wind can generate as much as 20% of our electricity by 2030.”

Strangely, he mentions offshore wind projects in New Jersey and Delaware, but didn’t mention Cape Wind.  Maybe he forgot?

In an MMS press release Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said, “It is fitting that on Earth Day President Obama is taking this bold step toward opening America’s oceans and new energy frontier, so that we can wisely build a clean energy economy that will create millions of new jobs across the country.” Salazar added, “This new framework will enhance our energy security and create the foundation for a new offshore energy sector that will employ Americans developing clean and renewable energy.”

In response, a statement was issued by Civil Society Institute and Clean Power Now which read, “Now, it’s time for the Obama Administration to take the next step and issue a Record of Decision on Cape Wind as soon as possible so we can begin to move aggressively to exploit the abundant offshore wind energy potential with a shovel ready project.”

But opponents say not so fast. According to Peter Kenney, the silver bullet is that the Cape Wind permitting process is no longer grandfathered.  He said, “Now MMS can revisit all of the problems that weren’t resolved in the Federal Environmental Impact Statement.  It is clear that they have tightened up their review standards.”

Talking with the press, Salazar was careful to note that the new guidelines will definitely be applied to the Cape Wind project, so we’ll have to wait to see how that affects Cape Wind’s federal permitting process.  Obviously, there’s still plenty left to figure out at MMS.

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The federal government is expected to release regulations for offshore alternative energy projects this afternoon that clear the way for the first offshore wind turbines to be erected along the Atlantic Coast.

President Obama is expected to outline the regulations today in his Earth Day appearance at an Iowa wind turbine factory. The rules will set long-awaited guidelines for offshore leases covering the construction, operation and decommissioning of renewable energy projects on the Outer Continental Shelf, all of which will apply to the Cape Wind project. Until now Cape Wind has largely proceeded on a permitting track parallel to but separate from the creation of the new rules.

The guidelines serve as a bold indicator of the Obama administration’s mission to actively develop alternative energy sources in order to curb our nation’s reliance on oil and gas.  Stay tuned as we await the speech!

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On Monday Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar hosted the first of four regional public meetings in Atlantic City, NJ set to discuss the future of offshore energy development. According to Secretary Salazar, the meetings to be held also in New Orleans, Anchorage and San Francisco throughout April will foster “an open, honest conversation with the American people to solicit the best information possible about an offshore energy plan.”

Salazar’s efforts to finalize a comprehensive offshore energy plan were prodded Monday morning when he was handed a letter by Cape Wind’s Mark Rodgers from Massachusetts legislators Frank I. Smizik, Chairman of the House Committee on Climate Change and Global Warming and by Marc R. Pacheco, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Climate Change and Global Warming. The letter, signed by seventy-eight members of the Massachusetts Legislature (which includes 200 members) urged Salazar to grant the Cape Wind project a favorable record of decision and lease as soon as possible. House Chairman Smizik said, “As Interior Secretary Ken Salazar begins his public meetings across the country today on offshore renewable energy, we want him to know that Cape Wind has the strong support of the Massachusetts Legislature and the public.”

“The time for action on climate change is now — Cape Wind will position Massachusetts as a global leader in offshore renewable energy development,” said Senate Chairman Pacheco.

At Monday’s meeting Salazar stressed the potential demand that offshore wind power could meet. "The idea that wind energy has the potential to replace most of our coal-burning power today is a very real possibility," he said. "It is not technology that is pie-in-the sky; it is here and now."

Coming at the very onset of Salazar’s set of nationwide meetings, this endorsement of Cape Wind from the Massachusetts Legislature may be timed well, but unlikely to move the new energy secretary.

Eddie Keenan IV

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This past Monday the Cape Cod Commission (CCC) held a public meeting at the Barnstable District Courthouse to review its options as Cape Wind marches forward with its “super permit” issued by Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB). The EFSB reached a tentative decision in March to issue Cape Wind Associates a composite certificate which covers the final nine outstanding state and local approvals related to its electric cables.

The CCC was also overridden by the Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management (CZM) just in January when CZM issued a pair of certifications of the environmental reports for the proposed wind farm.  Following the CZM determinations, a pair of lawsuits were filed against the state for failing to consult with CCC, as required by law.

Punctuating Monday’s meeting several times was a glaring error in a front page Cape Cod Times (CCT) article in this past Friday’s issue: a supposed Cape Wind transmission cable was claimed to be 7 ¾ feet thick, though it is really just 7 ¾ inches.  Walter Brooks of Cape Cod Today wasted no time pouncing, publishing a comical artist’s impression of the imagined supercable.

While both sides take pleasure in each other’s shortcomings, the meeting had a more serious intent, to teem out a clearer position for the Cape Cod Commission as it seeks to reestablish its jurisdiction in state matters.  Many voices spoke out against Cape Wind, some reiterating oft-mentioned positions, while others offered new insight into how Cape Cod Commission should move forward.  Many of those voices are people who’ve been fighting this battle for a while: Cliff Carroll, Rob Brussiere, Charles McLaughlin, Sen. Rob O’Leary, and Tom Bernardo.  The Cape Cod Commission is an important regulator of the Cape Cod region – these several decisions by the Patrick administration overruling local jurisdiction will likely set precedents which slowly strip CCC of its strongest powers.

Key proponent of the wind farm, Rep. Matt Patrick (D-Barnstable), showed up to persuade the Commissioners from their long-held positions.  Patrick articulated how the anti-Cape Wind prejudice was ingrained from the early days of the battle when the Cape Cod Times launched its “editorial jihad”, writing over 100 op-eds in opposition to the project. “In the end, most of our elected and appointed boards’ decisions are subject to the perspectives of the people on them and the frame of mind they have been given by local media,” he said.

Before finishing his remarks Patrick admonished the CCC’s efforts in continuing to fight Cape Wind. He said, “The Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board has always been able to override local boards…always.”  Whether the decision stands is up in the air, but what we know for sure is the battle isn’t over yet.

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Speaking at a Senate Energy Committee hearing today, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar brought up Cape Wind again. While much of the hearing focused on jurisdiction over offshore alternative energy projects, Salazar did offer a vague time frame as to when we can expect a decision on the offshore wind project.

Having tossed himself into the Cape Wind fray just a week ago, Salazar said today that “we would hope that we would be able to move forward with a decision on [Cape Wind]…sometime in the next several months.”

Sometime in the next several months? Well, at least it’s something, right? Now we won’t have to keep on hitting refresh on our news-feed every fifteen minutes in anticipation of the announcement…

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Last Thursday the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB) voted in favor of issuing Cape Wind Associates a “super permit,” a composite certificate that encompasses nine outstanding state and local approvals related to electric cables.

The EFSB instructed Cape Wind to work with the seaside towns of Yarmouth and Barnstable in order to agree on “reasonable and customary conditions” for permits for burying electric cables. If an agreement is not reached, the board will intervene and decide upon reasonable conditions.

If formally approved, the certificate, which will receive a final vote by EFSB within sixty days, will officially conclude Cape Wind’s permitting at both the state and local levels. In doing so the measure would effectively trump the Cape Cod Commission procedural denial of the Cape Wind project. Without missing a beat, the Cape Cod Commission fired back with claims that the state board lacks the jurisdiction to overturn its previous denial of the project. This marks the second time in the past two years that the Energy Facilities Siting Board has asserted its authority over the regional planning and regulatory agency.

Eddie Keenan IV

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Ken Salazar has finally spoken up about Cape Wind! No, the Secretary of the Interior has not yet signed off on a lease for the Cape Wind Associates, but his comments in a recentinterview with the Associated Press mark the first time that Salazar has publicly discussed the controversial offshore wind farm proposal.

Salazar called Cape Wind a “good project,” one that “makes sense.” But in what will surely raise the ire of Cape Wind opponents, he said that it was important “we get this thing done and not get stuck in a not-in-my-backyard syndrome.”

As if realizing that opponents don’t particularly appreciate being reduced to NIMBYists, Salazar added that the idea of picking either renewable energy or conservationism is a “false choice,” that one was not exclusive of the other.

Still no word on when we can expect the long-awaited lease for Cape Wind. Stay tuned!

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The Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound filed a lawsuit Feb. 20 against the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management  (CZM) challenging its finding in January that the Cape Wind project adequately meets state environmental requirements for activities in federal waters.  Charlie McLaughlin, Barnstable’s attorney, confirmed that the town filed a similar suit the same day in the county Superior Court.

This marks a shift in focus from Obama’s Interior Department, who’s decision on Cape Wind is pending, to the court system of Massachusetts. The opponents of Cape Wind contend that the state agency’s determination has violated the law and, moreover, was reached prematurely. According to a prepared statement released on Wednesday, Alliance President and CEO Glenn G. Wattley said, “In its decision on Cape Wind’s impacts, CZM has clearly violated the law and abandoned its own mission to protect our coastal environment.” The Alliance asserts that CZM failed to consult with the Cape Cod Commission on its decision as required by law.

In the prepared statement the Alliance also noted that in prior comments on Cape Wind the CZM itself has stated, “The project will have both direct and indirect impacts to natural resources and uses within the Massachusetts coastal zone and the adjacent waters.”

While it remains to be seen whether the lawsuit will significantly interfere with the Cape Wind project, you can be sure to see more legal challenges and press releases over the next several weeks.  Only two weeks ago, Alliance Audra Parker vowed the fight over the Cape Wind project was far from over, and that’s quickly becoming clear.

Eddie Keenan IV

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The MMS has extended the public comment window for the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) until March 21, 2009. A record of decision, therefore, cannot be issued by the Interior Department until after the public comment window has ended. Although this marks yet another delay for Cape Wind, the same one-month extension was issued in 2008 following the release of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS).

Comments may be submitted to the MMS by using the Public Comment System.

Click here to view the FEIS.

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