On October 6, 2010, with the help of Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar, Cape Wind President Jim Gordon took the next step in a nine-year struggle to construct a wind farm in the Nantucket Sound by signing the first offshore wind farm lease in U.S. coastal waters. This is a milestone for the U.S. environmental movement, as it marks the first time offshore federal land has been leased to a renewable energy source. This would not have been possible if Congress had not passed the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which gave authority to the Minerals Management Service to process and oversee easements for wind power land use on the continental shelf.
The lease will last 28 years, and will cost Cape Wind $88,278 annually, excluding operating fees based on the company's revenue from energy produced. Cape Wind still needs the approval of the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities in order to begin construction, but this signing just brings the project one step closer to being realized. The proposed 130-turbine wind farm just five miles off the coast of Massachusetts has been controversial on many fronts. Locals have complained that it will destroy the natural beauty of the shoreline, conservatives have argued that its construction and subsidy costs will translate to more taxpayer dollars, while others have pointed to the expected doubling in cost of electricity to those using the new power source.
While these all may be reasonable claims, Jim Gordon points out in an interview that "the cost of inaction would be much greater." He notes that it is important to see that wind power is a fixed cost, and while it may be more expensive in the short term, as the economy rises out of recession, fossil fuel prices too will rise. This signature is a great sign that the federal government is on board with offshore wind power, and it is a great achievement for the environmental movement and the green job industry. It is also a vital step in the process for Massachusetts to reach its renewable energy mandate under the state Legislature's Renewable Portfolio Standard. While the cost of electricity will likely rise for the 75% of people living in the Cape and Islands that will use this new power source, the stability of renewable energy prices is something that we cannot live without, and something we will need in the future if we want to avoid future economic crises.
The lease will last 28 years, and will cost Cape Wind $88,278 annually, excluding operating fees based on the company's revenue from energy produced. Cape Wind still needs the approval of the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities in order to begin construction, but this signing just brings the project one step closer to being realized. The proposed 130-turbine wind farm just five miles off the coast of Massachusetts has been controversial on many fronts. Locals have complained that it will destroy the natural beauty of the shoreline, conservatives have argued that its construction and subsidy costs will translate to more taxpayer dollars, while others have pointed to the expected doubling in cost of electricity to those using the new power source.
While these all may be reasonable claims, Jim Gordon points out in an interview that "the cost of inaction would be much greater." He notes that it is important to see that wind power is a fixed cost, and while it may be more expensive in the short term, as the economy rises out of recession, fossil fuel prices too will rise. This signature is a great sign that the federal government is on board with offshore wind power, and it is a great achievement for the environmental movement and the green job industry. It is also a vital step in the process for Massachusetts to reach its renewable energy mandate under the state Legislature's Renewable Portfolio Standard. While the cost of electricity will likely rise for the 75% of people living in the Cape and Islands that will use this new power source, the stability of renewable energy prices is something that we cannot live without, and something we will need in the future if we want to avoid future economic crises.
The federal government has also approved plans to develop solar energy on federal lands in California.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/05/AR2010100505984.html
This might signal the beginning of a shift from federal support of fossil fuel and nuclear development to renewable energy growth.