Wind Farm Poll

[David Churbuck]

We've never polled on whether Reel-Timers are for or against the proposed windfarm in Nantucket Sound. So ....

[ruge13]

I didn't know what this was so I found some information that others might want to see.
WInd farm info cape cod times. (http://www.capecodonline.com/special/windfarm/)

I said I don't have an opinion yet. I would be inetrested in the Army Corp Eng. EIA findings. And any other Impact assesments for that matter. Whats wrong with the other proposed sites? Like (area 4) 17 miles South East of Nantucket? If aesthetics, boat trafic, ferry access etc are a problem than that seems like a good solution. The arguments I read made by environmentalists seem almost petty or easily discounted. Jellyfish increases from polyps and added structure? I would think this would be a positive structure for the sound. An artificial reef of sorts. Might bring added life to an otherwise underwater desert (I think, but I am not all that familiar with the sound) I understand the residents not wanting to wake up every moring to see windmills marking the horizon however far or insignificnt the impact is. I wouldn't. There are too many unknowns at this point. My initial reaction is no for that reason, but there are many pro's and unknown pro's as well I think. 3/4 cape cod and island energy, thats a big deal. Without seeing numbers though it would be easy to persuade anyone though. 3/4 sounds great, but how much is that relative to a small city? Probably not much. Will it be worth 28 miles? 28 square miles is alot of that sound. Vibration impacts on fish and marine life? That will bring some interesting research. There is so much that seems vague. I like the research oportunities this presents though. There is also the conflict with privatizing public lands....I don't motor across that sound in a small boat but if I did I would be pretty upset if now I had to go 20 miles out of my way to get to the same place. That seems like a big deal. What do others think? This is an interesting topic...

[Ray]

I have been working on this issue for CCA. It is incedibly complex. For example, the Army Corp of Engineers is breaking federal laws with some of the initial hearings it is holding.

The analogy of "would you build this in a national park" has been had. Horseshoe Shoals is in the middle of one of the northeasts greatest resources.

This project will probably be killed when it goes up for vote in Washington in several years.

ray

[Mark Cahill]

On a side note...

It has been suggested that they do a wind farm on the site of Worcester Airport, which is scheduled to lose it's last commercial airline at the end of the month.

[Skunk Buster]

The name of the group that opposes the project is itself offensive to me: "Alliance to Save Nantucket Sound"?? What they are trying to "save" is their million-dollar waterviews. This is just another case of the "not in my backyard" mentality that arises whenever such a project is attempted. I STRONGLY doubt that any of these mostly summer residents would be willing to turn off the central air-conditioners in their huge trophy homes in order to actually conserve electricity...they would prefer that we build more polluting power plants....as long as they were somwhere else, preferably in low-income areas.

Problem is that any method of electricity production has drawbacks...the group is focusing on these in order to kill the project. As far as the argument that "you can't use federal property for a private business venture"...well, this isn't new. Anyone who's been out West knows that the mining, forestry, hydro-electric power, and ranching industries have always relied on the use of federal land for their viability.

In sum, I think this is a very creative idea for alternative sources of energy that should be explored.

[baldwin]

What are the options? Drill in the Arctic and Rockies and devastate those ecosystems (don't believe the garbage that they HELP those ecosystems), hydroelectric plants that disrupt fish migration, rely on the Middle East, put windfarms on Nantucket sound...
Seems like any option had a sacrifice attached. I think fossil fuels should be phased out as much as possible, but I need much more info to decide on this one. Those windmills may leave enough space to navigate through, might even provide good structure for fishing, might ruin it.
GRB

[hydroTechNoCrat]

Ever see how many range rovers are on Nantucket? Put the windmills in the sound! So what if Walter Cronkite and a bunch of Goldman Sachs types don't like it.

Fossil Fuels--to dirty
Hydro--royally screws up a river and the surrounding eco-system
Nuclear--too dangerous and no where to put the waste

Windmills, solar etc. Lets give em a try.