Proposed Cape wind farm may be subject to additional scrutiny
Offshore wind farms including the one proposed for Nantucket Sound would face additional review by the Coast Guard under a provision buried in a bill passed by the US House to help the service handle the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Backers of the Cape Cod wind farm proposal complain that the little-noticed provision creates another level of review for the project, potentially slowing its approval even further.
The amendment, inserted by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman Don Young, an Alaska Republican, calls for the commandant of the Coast Guard to give a written opinion on whether any proposed offshore wind farm would interfere with navigation.
Young's office and committee did not return phone calls for comment.
Supporters of Cape Wind Associates' plan to build 130 windmills in Nantucket Sound fear that the amendment would further delay the project and that running it up the chain of leadership could expose the issue to political pressure.
''The motive behind this amendment is suspect," said Sue Reid, staff lawyer at Conservation Law Foundation, which supports renewable energy projects and has supported Cape Wind's position in some legal briefs.
''Any effort to create hurdles solely for wind energy projects and single them out for scrutiny beyond what's required for other projects is backward and unjustifiable," she said.
Cape Wind Associates plans to erect 417-foot-tall wind turbines in Nantucket Sound to create a new source of renewable energy.
The plan is undergoing an environmental review headed by the US Army Corps of Engineers in cooperation with state and local agencies, including the local Coast Guard district, are assisting.
''We already have that basic authority and jurisdiction," said Coast Guard Captain Mary E. Landry. In a letter to the Army Corps in February, she detailed concerns about navigation surrounding the proposed wind farm, including the potential for ice to build up between and around the turbines.
The head of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, which was formed to block Cape Wind's project, acknowledged that his organization had tried to get the congressional committee to demand greater Coast Guard involvement.
''We didn't deal with this particular language," said Alliance CEO Charles Vinick. ''But we have been working with people who are serving on the House committee that deals with the Coast Guard to try to encourage them to provide Coast Guard oversight of the questions of hazards to navigation."
''I think what this underscores is that it needs to be looked at [by] the highest levels of the Coast Guard," he added. ''It's simply saying, 'this is important and let's bring it to the highest level.' "
The amendment, inserted into an $8.7 billion bill, also focused on post-Katrina efforts, such as authorizing the federal government to buy the homes of Coast Guard crewmen damaged by the hurricane in Alabama, Mississippi, or Louisiana, and extending boating licenses for mariners. The bill has not yet gone to conference committee.
''Slipping an amendment in a bill that contains Hurricane Katrina-related provisions that would provide more hurdles to the emerging offshore wind energy industry is so disappointing," said Jim Gordon, Cape Wind president.
