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According to MMS "impacts are expected to be negligible or minor; some moderate impacts were found."
"Today marks a historic day for Massachusetts and the region," declared Jim Gordon, President of Cape Wind. "The Federal Government has released an extremely favorable Final Environmental Impact Statement on Cape Wind that moves this region from the end of the energy pipeline to the front."
"I congratulate Mr. Gordon on blazing a trail for renewable energy for the northeast through a regulatory jungle hat not even Kafka in his wildest dreams could imagine," declared state Rep. Matt Patrick. "This will make Cape Cod and Southeastern Massachusetts the place to get a job and start a company in the (renewable energy) field. That's why it's been so important to me."
The final report includes the Coast Guard's "terms and conditions to ensure safe vessel operations in and around the wind facility." While the Coast Guard has reported their initial findings they haven't given the final report yet.
The FAA has also not completed the hazard determination; their previous determinations have expired since the review has taken so long.
"This has been a long road. Over seven and a half years," Gordon said. "The public support for Cape Wind has grown according to independent public opinion polls 86 percent of the people of Massachusetts want to see this project built. This project is the right project in the right place at the right time."
The MMS received over 42,000 comments on their draft report.
Cape Wind hopes to build 130 turbines 4.7 off the off Cape Cod in Nantucket Sound. Gordon said they were waiting for one last approval from the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board (that would roll up eight local permits) and he expects that at the end of eth first quarter. And they will need a new permit from the FAA.
"Construction could begin by the end of 2009 or the first quarter of 2010," Gordon said. "We're hopeful we can be producing power by the end of 2011 or early 2012. This was an extremely favorable report and it comports with all the other environmental reports."
"We have a long record of favorable environmental, scientific and socioeconomic reviews," Gordon added. "Cape Wind will be the single largest green house gas reduction project in the United States."
Longtime supporter Barbara Hill, Executive Director of Clean Power Now issued a statement.
"At long last Cape Wind has cleared its final regulatory hurdle. Today's announcement gives the "Good Housekeeping seal of approval" to the wind farm supported by 86 percent of the people of Massachusetts," she declared. "This struggle has never been just about Cape Wind. Most certainly, it has never been about the view from the beach. It has always been about protecting our planet from global warming, creating an energy independent future for our country and building a new industry, and the jobs that go with it, for the people of Massachusetts."
She knows it isn't over.
"We fully expect the opponents of progress to file their promised law suits. That's what they've done all along and lost every time," Hill said. "And, we also expect our elected leaders to fulfill their promise to support this project once that regulatory process is completed. That day is today and we welcome Congressman Edward Markey and Senator John Kerry to add their voices to the overwhelming majority of people in Massachusetts who support Cape Wind."
Opponents are less pleased.
Audra Parker, the COO of Save Our Sound, issued a press release decrying the rush to issue permits at the 11th hour.
"(The process) is filled with loose ends," she said by phone. "I haven't seen the final report yet but the FAA has not completed its studies on the project's effects on radar. Section 106 of the Historic Preservation Act on (the impact on) historic tribes sites has not been completed. And the rules for finalizing offshore energy projects have not been finalized."
The MMS has said that 29 historic tribal sites would be impacted visually by Cape Wind.
"The same agency that has been doing the Cape Wind review (MMS) was charged in 2005 with promulgating final regulations for offshore energy in a nine-month time period so they were supposed to be out in 2006," Parker noted. "They are making an exception for one project with no rules out. That's putting the cart before the horse."
The project could make navigation by radar difficult for ships. They Coast Guard study deals with that. The FAA was looking at the project impact of air traffic. An earlier review found little impact but the final verdict isn't in.
"The FAA is a huge gap. Radar impact is still under study and yet the FEIS has come out. Why is there a rush to issue the report at the 11th hour? These are significant human safety issues," Parker said.
There will be a minimum of 30 days for public comment and then the record of the decision will be issued. Even with that, "there are probably 20 permits and authorizations the project needs. So it's far from a done deal," Parker said.
She would like to see the government take the time to complete the report with all information included.
"They would need to complete the historic tribal study and hopefully a final determination from the FAA so a number of issues still need to be addressed," she said. "I feel they've very clearly been rushing it. There's no other reason for it to come out today except to have the final report come out in the Bush administration. And we've seen it first hand with the pressure put on the Coast Guard as an example of how they are rushing the reviews unnecessarily because it is just one of 20 permits."
There is a change in administration in a few days.
"Hopefully they will do the right thing and have complete information particularly on public safety," Parker noted.
"The other issue is the inspector general investigation of the way the MMS treated the review of Cape Wind," Parker added.
The Inspector General's office has questioned a number of people after complaints were made. The MMS recently came under fire for gross misconduct in their Denver office involving mineral leases.
"They are investigating potential misconduct in MMS' review of Cape Wind," Parker explained. "It could be exerting undue influence on other agencies. The Coast Guard clearly was rushed with a review that impacts public safety. There was the reassignment of a USFWS biologist who scrutinized adequacy of their report on the environmental impact on bird and he was reassigned."
"We've had no inquires from the Inspector general and I'm not concerned one iota," Gordon noted. "Nothing is easy when it comes to changing the status quo and blazing new trails. I think citizens aspire to break our addiction to foreign energy."
Gordon noted there are lawsuits promised and pending.
"We've seen a number of lawsuits. Each time we have met them in court and we won on the merits," he said, adding they are exploring proceeding construction in the face of any suits. "Some of the toughest moments were the stealth political moves used against this project that would have circumvented a seven year process."
Gordon said the project will cost over one billion dollars and create 600-1000 new jobs. So far they've spent $40 million dollars.
"Cape Wind represents a low risk energy project because there are no fuel costs. "I said eight years from now I predict the price of wind will be zero and I was right," Gordon recalled. "A lot of people are rooting for Cape Wind to happen."
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