Federal advisory panel rules against Cape Wind

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation today told U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to reject Cape Wind, the wind farm proposed for Nantucket Sound.

The state's top environmental official quickly criticized the ruling, saying the panel overstepped its authority, and the developer voiced disagreement. Opponents of the project called the decision a "great victory."

The council said the project's 130 turbines spread over 24 square miles of Horseshoe Shoal would "adversely affect" 34 historic properties - including the Nantucket Historic District and the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port.

"The indirect and direct effects of the Project on the collection of historic properties would be pervasive, destructive, and, in the instance of seabed construction, permanent," the panel stated in a seven-page report. "By their nature and scope, the effects cannot be adequately mitigated at the proposed site."

Ian Bowles, secretary of energy and environmental affairs for Gov. Deval Patrick, said the council "has gone well beyond its charge from Secretary Salazar, which was to provide advice as to mitigation."

"Nonetheless, after nine years of state and federal review, all views have been heard and the time is ripe for this important clean energy project to move forward," he added in a statement.

Salazar - who has the final say on the project - last month asked the five-member historic preservation council to evaluate the proposal.

Developer Jim Gordon first pitched Cape Wind in 2001. The project, located in federal waters, would be the nation's first offshore wind energy facility.

Gordon's company, Boston-based Cape Wind Associates, said in a statement that the council's comments are "at odds" with the environmental-impact analysis of the Interior Department's Minerals Management Service.

"We're very hopeful that when Secretary Salazar reviews the complete record he will conclude that the verified public benefits of cleaner air, greater energy independence, hundreds of new American jobs and mitigating climate change will far outweigh any negative impacts and that he will approve Cape Wind," the company said in a statement.

The rejection comes two days after Cape Wind Associates announced plans to purchase the wind turbines for the project from Germany-based Siemens.

The panel also said the U.S. government consultation with Native American tribes was "tentative, inconsistent and late." The Wampanoags of Gay Head and Mashpee are concerned about impacts on properties with religious and cultural significance.

"Earnest tribal consultation that made possible an open dialogue between the tribes and the federal agencies started late in the review process, after the applicant was committed to the preferred location," the panel commented.

Cedric Cromwell, chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, said he is "gratified" the panel "validated our concerns."

"We hope that Secretary Salazar will agree with their conclusion that Nantucket Sound is an inappropriate site for the project," he said in a statement.

The council, whose mission is to balance historic preservation against development, recommended several ways to improve the planning process for future alternative energy projects.

The five panelists reviewed documents and held a site visit and public meeting on March 22 on the Cape to receive testimony from public officials, organizations and individuals.

"This is a great victory for the people of Cape Cod and the Islands, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and all citizens of this country who care deeply about protecting national treasures like Nantucket Sound," said Audra Parker, president of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound.