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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

With Steve Pitney of Alternative Energy LLC in the audience, selectmen once again refused to extend his contract for the Town Hall wind turbine. ...Asked later whether he is planning to sue, Pitney said, "I hadn't thought of it, but it is always a possibility."

For the first time since the wind turbine at Mark Richey Woodworking went up a few weeks ago, its enormous blades have begun to turn. Although the city's tallest structure - at 292 feet tall - is now set up and functioning, it still needs to be connected to the electrical grid. The company is organizing an event in March to celebrate the first spin of the 600-kilowatt Elecon TurboWinds turbine as it starts to generate power. Final tests are continuing.

The lagging economy has hit businesses and government projects hard so far, but it has actually helped speed up the proposed five-turbine wind farm planned in Savoy. Don McCauly, president of Minuteman Wind LLC., said the economic downturn hasn't hindered the company's attempts to obtain five of the expensive, hard-to-find turbines, in fact, he said, it's quite the opposite. ...McCauly said the company is in "active discussion" with many neighbors in key locations on the site to get access.

The Barnstable Town Council will draft a letter restating its opposition to the wind farm proposed for Nantucket Sound by Cape Wind Associates. The federal Minerals Management Service is accepting comments on its report, which found that the Project could go forward. Barnstable Village councilor Ann Canedy has supported such opposition letters in the past, but wondered whether a drafting a new one made sense.

The Federal Aviation Administration is amenable to altering a flight path onto Otis Air National Guard Base that would allow two wind turbines to be erected in Falmouth. The turbines, one public and another private, had initially been approved by the FAA last year, but after a secondary review were deemed to pose a risk to flights landing on Runway 5 at the base. On Christmas Eve, the FAA notified the two applicants in an e-mail that their projects were deemed a hazard to air navigation.

Cape Wind could begin to set up financing for its plan to build 130 wind turbines in Nantucket Sound as early as this spring, according to a company official. The U.S. Minerals Management Service issued a largely positive environmental report for the project last month and a formal approval of a lease for the project could come as soon as two weeks. Combined with several permits already issued by the state and a pending decision on all other local and state permits, the federal lease could clear the way for Cape Wind to pursue investors and loans for the project.

The town is hoping that one of four town-owned sites is suitable to host a wind turbine, which could be used to reduce the town's electricity costs. Town Planner Laurie A. Connors submitted an application for a site survey to the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative last month. Under the MTC's Community Wind Collaborative, it is the first step to determining if the town is eligible for a feasibility study to see if a wind turbine could be erected.

Last summer, wind turbine manufacturers couldn't make parts fast enough to meet demand. Now, industry executives say, financing has all but disappeared because of the economy, causing some planned projects to be put on hold. Unless there's a robust economic rebound, or the government steps in, they say, construction of wind turbines nationwide will be set back, and the companies that make turbine parts could be forced to cut jobs.

Cape Wind Associates received another state approval in its bid to build the country's first offshore wind farm. The Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management issued two determinations Friday that the proposal to build 130 turbines in Nantucket Sound was consistent with its policies.

Joseph P. Kennedy II, whose father Robert F. Kennedy championed Native American rights, is at war with a band of Navajo Indians. The Cameron Chapter of Navajo Nation is charging that Kennedy, president of Citizens Energy Corp. and its for-profit business Citizens Wind, is trying to seize control of a proposed wind farm on the tribe’s reservation on Gray Mountain in northern Arizona.

In 2000-plus pages, filled with studies, statistics and opinions galore, the federal Minerals Management Service concluded that building a wind farm on Horseshoe Shoal was not only better than nowhere, but better than a good many other spots. The Final Environmental Impact Statement released last week didn't say the site in Nantucket Sound was perfect, but that it met a series of physical, biological and social/human benchmarks.

America's first offshore wind farm has moved closer to the construction stage now that the federal government has released a favorable Final Environmental Impact Statement on the project. ...The Alliance is critical of the federal agency saying, "Denying the public an opportunity to review Cape Wind in the context of the pending regulations, MMS has failed to complete OCS rules and has therefore violated section 388 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which required that regulations be finalized by May 2006."

Maurizio Caparrotta is proposing what would be another pioneering effort for the state, a $57 million, 12-turbine, 24 megawatt wind farm to be built in Douglas. His brother, who is president of Weymouth real estate development company Seven Hills Corp., is helping negotiate the permitting process.