An exciting start to the big offshore wind energy conference in Atlantic City New Jersey came in the form of an announcement that a lease for the Cape Wind project would be signed by the Secretary of Interior and a public signing of that lease. The folks back home at CLF posted a timely statement about that on this blog, illustrated by my debut as a breaking news photographer (if I had as nice a smartphone as my wife it would be a better picture).
As it often has been, Atlantic City is an odd mix of the artificial (including the eerie artificially lit and climate controlled casinos where you literally can’t tell if it is day or night) and the natural (the crash of the Ocean waves is as real as it gets). And into this odd mix (and it doesn’t get much odder than “your room is in the Centurion Tower, walk past the giant statue of Caesar and make a left”) we now stir in offshore wind.
So here is a reality check – the wind turbines on the Atlantic City wastewater treatment plant are a tourist attraction and folks redeveloping the historic “Steel Pier” on the Boardwalk are seeking to put wind turbines in place there.
Of course, New Englanders don’t like to think that they can learn from anyone. We generally like to be a model for others – a way of thinking that has been around for many years.
Building a healthy and thriving New England will mean that we learn from Europe, where offshore wind is real and growing. And yes, we should follow the lead of other places like New Jersey that are moving forward.
We need to do this right. We need to be very conscious of the need to protect our Ocean flora and fauna – and to put in place true marine spatial planning, planning smart and thoughtful use of our submerged public lands. But we need to do it.
We need to rid ourselves of coal fired generation, we need to make our homes, factories and offices much more efficient, we need to drive more efficient and cleaner cars, we need to drive less and we need to fully develop solar power and we need to do so much more in order to build a healthy and thriving New England.
But all these things are additive – none of them are instead of the others. And part of the pile of actions that are needed is making appropriate and timely use of our offshore wind resources – and the signing of the lease this morning and the many actions and approaches being discussed and developed at this conference are steps towards doing that.
Bill Carson
It’s to bad all the jobs and work for this project will be in Quonset Point,Rhode Island . Gov Patrick met with Ken Salazar on April 28,2010 and made that decision !
http://www.doi.gov/news/doinews/upload/Cape-Wind-EA.pdf
Page 9
Quonset Staging Area
Background: The FEIS describes the industrial port facility located in Quonset, Rhode Island as the onshore staging area for major construction activity associated with the Proposed Action.
This site was formally known as the U.S. Naval Reservation-Quonset Point. Following the downsizing of the U.S. Naval Reservation-Quonset Point, the site became an industrial and commercial park. The industrial commercial park is approximately 3,150 acres and houses several large businesses. In addition, the site is home to a deep water port with two piers that are capable of servicing large ships.
Additionally, documents show the state attempted to hide Governor Patrick’s direct involvement in negotiations with Cape Wind, and both Governor Patrick and Secretary Bowles were particularly concerned about the ability to gain media attention over the deal, predicting “it would be worldwide news if/when it comes together.”
Seth Kaplan
Quonset Point is a natural and obvious place for offshore wind turbine construction, assembly and staging. Much of the land there was shaped by the U.S. Navy over the course of the 20th Century and therefore it has many characteristics (deepwater access, large port area, access to roads and rail) that make it work for these purposes.
The Quincy Shipyard on the Quincy/Weymouth border in Massachusetts has some of the same characteristics – but the it is harder to bring a deepwater vessel to that port, the infrastructure there is not as good and changes of ownership have moved it out of the hands of folks naturally inclined to use the property for that purpose.
However, there was a moment back in about 2005 when there was a real chance that the Quincy Shipyard was eyed for investment and reuse for the purpose of building offshore wind technology. However, former MA Governor Mitt Romney, as part of his opposition to Cape Wind, chased away this chance for clean energy and jobs development.
Having done all they can to chase away Cape Wind – and companies that would bring jobs and economic activity while building that project – it is deeply ironic for opponent of Cape Wind to now argue it won’t generate enough jobs in Massachusetts.