Passing Wind

All fart jokes aside, this post means business.

Some of you may have heard about a proposed wind farm off the coast of Massachusettes, Cape Wind. The proposed wind farm would provide, on average, 3/4 of the energy that Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket sound require. The site is located miles from shore, with minimal on views, and a safe distance from all air, shipping, and ferry routes. The turbines will be in shallow water, where any large ships would run aground long before striking a turbine. The plan has been endorsed by a wide range of environmental and civic groups and by both the Maritime Trades Council and the Seafarer's International Union, unions that represent the interests of merchant marines. The Coast Guard also thinks the plan is safe.

However, Rep. Don Young of Alaska has seen fit to attach an amendment to a Coast Guard financing bill that would require a 1.5 mile buffer between wind farms and shipping lanes, for safety reasons. Bullshit. Basically, the goal is to protect the views from some very expensive waterfront property. Read the NYT editorial for the details on that.

But why does it really matter where the power for a bunch of rich people's vacation homes comes from? Well that's exactly why it matters. The people with property along that coast are powerful people, so building a wind farm in their backyard is a perfect way to show people who have the ability to impact the success of a technology that wind power is a good one. This project would associate renewable energy with the wealth and prestige of these islands, which could only help the cause.

So aside from the obvious environmental benefits of building this wind farm (Cape Cod has the dirtiest air in Massachusettes and this farm would offset 113,000,000 gallons of oil per year from being burned) this could be a big PR coup for renewable energy.

So, if you're bored at work or something, take a few minutes and drop some important decision makers a line.

XOXO,
Bert