Tough language dropped in Cape wind farm plan

Senator John W. Warner, Republican of Virginia, has dropped a Defense Authorization Act amendment that would have indefinitely delayed the country's first ocean wind farm off Cape Cod.

A Washington legislative source said last night that the proposed amendment by Warner, the Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, was taken out of the Defense Authorization Act because House Republicans objected to it. The language had been inserted into the act behind closed doors this week in Washington, as House and Senate legislators finalized language of the bill.

The amendment would have prohibited the 130-turbine Cape Wind project and all other offshore wind projects from moving forward until Congress worked out a suite of issues, including compensation for public lands and competitive bidding.

Warner's office said late last night it was unclear if the provision would remain in the bill. However, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who supported Warner's attempt, said it was clear that cohesive rules needed to be adopted for energy proposals on the ocean, especially with a recent US Commission on Ocean policy report that highlighted the issue.

"While Senator Warner's proposal was not adopted, it's clear that momentum is building to address the US Commission on Ocean Policy's recommendations," Kennedy said.

Supporters of Cape Wind breathed a sigh of relief at the latest failed attempt to derail the project. The Army Corps of Engineers has finished a draft environmental impact statement that will serve as the foundation of approval or disapproval of the project. However, the statement has been bounced up to the Pentagon for a review, and it is unclear when it will be released.

Last night, a spokesman for Cape Wind, the firm proposing the Cape project, said the company was pleased about the language's death. "This is good news for the Cape and region and for everyone who wants cleaner air and less dependence on Middle East oil," said Mark Rodgers.