A new federal study on the effects of submarine electric cables on marine wildlife should not delay a decision on the proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm, according to an e-mail statement from the lead agency reviewing the project. A formal "record of decision" necessary for Cape Wind Associates LLC to obtain a lease to build 130 wind turbines in the sound is "not tied to" the study of electromagnetic fields announced this week, U.S. Minerals Management Service spokesman John Romero wrote in the e-mail received yesterday by the Times.

The controversial and long-delayed Cape Wind project - which could become the first offshore wind farm in the United States - is inching forward. The next milestone is a decision by the Interior Department about whether to issue a lease for the project (something that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar discussed during an interview with The New York Times last week). But if Cape Wind does manage to leap over all of its hurdles, the question remains: who will make the turbines?

With what could be the final public hearing on the proposed Cohasset Heights wind turbine development this coming Monday, many in town will make their concerns about the project heard by signing a petition. For the past few weeks, a group of residents in a private resident group calling themselves the Cohasset Wind Advisory Committee have been about town talking to residents about the concerns they have about the turbines - and asking if they share those views. As of Wednesday, the signatures on the petition numbered over 800.

Everyone knows Martha's Vineyard is a very windy place, right? The "Saudi Arabia of wind," to use the vogue cliche among the boosters of wind energy. Wrong. ..."The Island is not as windy as people think it is. And that's unfortunate, because it means people have been trained to expect more than is possible," said Mr. Studds, who last week won funding to help him determine exactly how windy Martha's Vineyard actually is.

The town's chances of becoming greener have been curtailed by its proximity to Logan International Airport, which is 0.2 to 2 miles from any given point in the community. The two locations identified for a turbine are 0.75 and 1.25 miles from the airport, according to the DPW. After submitting a permit application early last year, town officials received a verbal report in November from the Federal Aviation Administration that indicated that a 250-foot structure in the vicinity of the DPW site would create, "a potential concern with sound landing and takeoff procedures and may be within or uncomfortably close to critical surface area zones," Hickey stated in a letter to Winthrop's town manager last year.

Construction for the wind turbine farm on West Hill could begin this summer if all goes according to plan. At the Selectmen's meeting on Tuesday night, Minuteman Wind LLC president Don McCauley told the board he hopes to begin preparation construction on roads and at the site by this summer or fall and hopes the five 425-foot turbines will be online by mid 2010, putting out 12.5 megawatts of clean electricity.

A proposal to designate the Eastham side of Rock Harbor as a possible site for a municipal wind turbine could face stiff resistance at town meeting in May. "My preference is to preserve this spot," said Gail Hoffman. "This tidal creek, and old boats is a piece of old Cape Cod." ...Selectmen and the finance committee are in the process of deciding whether to recommend a suite of changes by the planning board that lay out criteria for both municipal and private wind turbines.

Environmental impact studies for a proposed Buzzards Bay wind farm are on hold until the state releases an ocean management plan detailing where renewable energy facilities may be placed in ocean sanctuaries such as the bay. The Oceans Act of 2008 requires the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs to develop, with input from scientists and stakeholders, a comprehensive plan for ocean uses in state waters. The plan must be in place by Dec. 31.

About 20 of them turned out Monday at the selectmen's meeting to protest the proposed municipal wind turbine article that will be on the town meeting warrant in May. ...Gail Hoffman of Dyer Prence Road presented the selectmen a poster board filled with photos of Rock Harbor. "I am not opposed to green energy," but she wants Rock Harbor designated as a "very special place," she said. "This area is a treasure for the town. This is the last remaining piece of old Cape Cod," said Hoffman, and urged them to "proceed with caution" with any proposed changes.

The Cape Cod Commission will hold a public meeting March 30 to review comments on a state decision to sign off on the proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm. The Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management issued a pair of certifications in January that the project met state standards for projects in federal waters. The Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) is responsible for balancing human activities and the protection of coastal and marine resources.

One day after a state board tentatively approved a "super permit" that encompasses nine state and local approvals needed to build 130 wind turbines in Nantucket Sound, the Cape Cod Commission has mounted a legal challenge. On Friday the commission filed a motion claiming the Energy Facilities Siting Board ...lacks the jurisdiction to overturn the commission's previous procedural denial of the project.

The Zoning Board of Appeals had a number of questions as it reviewed the special permit application by Minuteman Wind, LLC to install five, 425-foot wind turbines on 290 acres of West Hill. Board member Marshall Rosenthal made a statement to the board and the dozen audience members in which he pointed out the company's "obvious deficiencies and failures to disclose pertinent information" in the special permit application.

Hull first got the go-ahead for four wind turbines about 1½ miles off Nantasket Beach last year, but the permitting process has been both lengthy and expensive. Constructing four 3- to 3.5-megawatt turbines isn't just about getting construction crews out on the ocean.

Following a tentative decision by a state board yesterday, Cape Wind Associates, LLC, is poised to receive a "super permit," knocking off nine state and local approvals it needs to build 130 wind turbines in Nantucket Sound. If formally approved, the so-called composite certificate would overturn a Cape Cod Commission procedural denial of the project. It would be second time the state Energy Facilities Siting Board has asserted its authority over the regional planning and regulatory agency in the past two years.

Voters at the April town meeting will be asked to approve the town's first wind turbine bylaw. The bylaw would regulate the construction and operation of wind turbines and provide standards for placement, design, monitoring, removal and other specifications. It also is designed to address public safety issues and minimize the impact on scenic, natural and historic resources.

The major ecological concern when five wind turbines were built here several years ago was whether they would kill migrating birds. They have, including two ospreys and a peregrine falcon. But as it turns out, it isn't the death of birds that is drawing the most attention. The real casualty is bats. The New Jersey Audubon Society is halfway through a three-year study on the impact of the turbines, and so far twice as many bats as birds have died.

Hearing of the map from her neighbor, Nan Cook couldn't believe it. Drafted by the city's former planning director, Nancy Colbert, last March, the map shows possible locations where wind turbines could be placed in the industrial park. There are about 22. ...Cook, who lives on Hill Street, called the possibility of adding 22 more turbines to the industrial park "insane."

The third time wasn't a charm for the school district's attempt to secure funding for a proposed wind turbine at Joseph Case High School. The district has applied three times in two years for a grant to fund a lengthy feasibility study and possible construction of a turbine near the school. ...an initial wind study at the school showed the wind speed there was half the level required to move the application forward.

The state plans to protect over 700 acres of ridge line in the Hoosac Mountain range from any future development, including wind turbines, as the Berkshire Natural Resources Council continues to create a corridor of land connecting the Florida and Savoy Mountain state forests. Part of the plan calls for a major hiking trail for North Berkshire.

According to Tyler Fairbank, CEO of EOS Ventures, a renewable energy development company based in Hancock, four criteria must be acceptable before a wind project can move ahead: wind resource, electrical grid connectivity, community acceptance, and a sound financial structure. "If there is a big red flag in any of these four areas, there is a pretty low probability that anything is going to happen," Fairbank said. "You can very easily have a project that makes sense from a wind resource and electrical environment perspective, but the community is not going to accept it. That is a key evaluation that really needs to be looked at."