Should Cape Wind Get the Go-Ahead?

by Cameron Scott · 2010-01-14 12:44:00 UTC
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Opposition to Cape Wind, a proposed wind farm in the Nantucket Sound, was easy to stereotype as a classic case of NIMBYism among the very-rich -- until Native groups weighed in, saying the project would interfere with their religious rituals and an ancient burial ground that's now underwater.

The tribes' claims led the National Park Service to announce that the area in question would be eligible to join the National Historic Register -- a listing that would force the proposed wind project to move or fold.

Nantucket's affluent residents had complained about turbines blocking their view, a claim that this rendering more or less dispels. But long-standing religious practice? That objection seems tougher to dismiss.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is tasked with closing the long-disputed deal, and gave the tribes and the developer until March 1 to reach an agreement. Salazar has now said he will make a final decision by April.

Mr. Salazar's announcement, which emphasized that clean energy is an Obama administration priority, was taken by some to suggest that he will likely approve the deal.

Should the project get the okay, or should Nantucket Sound join the National Historic Register?

Photo credit: Peta-de-Aztlan

Cameron Scott writes The Thin Green Line blog at SFGate (San Francisco Chronicle).
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