Site for 420MW Cape Wind project labelled “historic”, threatening scheme

January 5, 2010

Local Native American tribes claim the Cape Wind project would interfere with their spiritual well-being

A decision on a permit for the first offshore wind project in the US could be taken by March – if a potentially fatal new roadblock can be overcome, it has emerged.

The National Park Service has thrown down the gauntlet to the Cape Wind project set for the Horseshoe Shoal, near Cape Cod, Massachusetts, by suggesting its proposed location eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

The project is seeking to build a 420MW offshore wind farm in Nantucket Sound, off Cape Cod, but faces a challenge from local Native America tribes, who consider the area sacred.

A high project project for the Obama Presidency, Cape Wind would involve around 130 wind turbines around 400 feet high.

Local Native American tribes, the Mashpee and Aquinnah Wampanoag, have requested special protection for the area, and yesterday saw the Keeper of the National Parks Service agreeing with their request.

The US Department of the Interior said the finding of eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places meant that the “significant archeological, historic and cultural values” would be consideredin the permitting process for the Cape Wind project.

The project, which already has a power purchase agreement in place with electricity supplier National Grid (see this BrighterEnergy.org story), must have its permit application reviewed by the Minerals Management Service (MMS).

US Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said: “The Keeper’s finding that Nantucket Sound is eligible for listing in the National Register provides information that will help us to undertake final consultations and analysis of potential impacts of wind development on historic and cultural resources in Nantucket Sound.”

Vast resources

Revealing the federal government’s frustration at the fresh delays to the Cape Wind project in his statement issued following the ruling on Nantucket Sound, Mr Salazar pointed to the “vast offshore wind resources” on offer for a nation attempting to wean itself off foreign oil.

But, he added that “as we begin to develop these resources, we must ensure that we are doing so in the right way and in the right places”.

The US Secretary of the Interior will be gathering together the main parties involved in the Cape Wind project next week to consider the historic nature of the Nantucket location and “find a common-sense agreement” on a way forward.

Mr Salazar said: “I am hopeful that an agreement among the parties can be reached by March 1. If an agreement among the parties can’t be reached, I will be prepared to take the steps necessary to bring the permit process to conclusion. The public, the parties, and the permit applicants deserve certainty and resolution.”

Tribes

The Mashpee and Aquinnah Wampanoag tribes have warned that the Cape Wind project would “destroy” a site they consider sacred, where their ancestors fished, hunted and “possibly were buried”.

They are also opposed to the 130 wind turbines on the grounds that they would obstruct their view of the horizon, thus “interfering” with their spiritual well-being.