Not in MY backyard

[Chicopee John]

Suit Expected In Cape Cod Wind Turbine Project

Tribune Media Services

 

Environmental groups plan to file suit in federal district court Friday arguing that the nation's first offshore wind energy project, approved recently by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, violates the Endangered Species Act.

 

The suit accuses the Obama administration of failing to protect endangered birds and whales in approving the Cape Wind project, a set of 130 wind turbine generators to be installed on Nantucket Sound. The suit would mark the first legal challenge to the project since it was approved April 28 by Obama administration officials, who lauded it as a model of renewable energy production.

 

The plaintiffs, including Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, Californians for Renewable Energy, Inc. and the Texas group Lower Laguna Madre Foundation, argue that the Interior Department failed to adequately assess the wind turbine project for its potential harm to birds and whales migrating off the Massachusetts coast.

 

 

Jessica Almy, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said that the Interior Department ignored recommendations from experts to require that wind turbines shut down during the heaviest periods of bird migration.

 

She alleged the Fish and Wildlife Service recommendation was removed from the proposal after the Interior Department received an objection from the project applicant, Cape Wind Associates.

 

Cape Wind Associates, owned by a private Boston-based energy company, wrote Interior in 2008 that the shutdown requirement was "not reasonable." The letter was sent to Interior's Minerals Management Service, currently under criticism for allegedly mishandling its oversight of offshore oil and gas drilling. The shutdown requirement would have included hours when power generated from the project was most important and would harm the project's financial viability, the company wrote.

 

Mark Rodgers, communications director for Cape Wind, said, "The impact on birds will be minor andthe threats we're imposing on birds from burning fossil fuels and from climate change are far more severe and need to be mitigated."

 

The plaintiffs also argue that the project could harm right whales, citing reports that nearly 100 whales were recently observed feeding near the proposed project site.

 

Rodgers said that the of all the water bodies around Cape Cod, "the one with the least amount of whale traffic is Nantucket Sound."

 

 

 

 

PS The Kennedy family has been a loud opponent of this, as well.

 

 

[VaporTrail]

This is environmentalism, not nimbyism, and what does nouveau riche have to do with anything?

[Chicopee John]

This is environmentalism, not nimbyism, and what does nouveau riche have to do with anything?

 

Actually, Vape, it's called hypocricy (sp) and dishonesty.

 

My point about the noveau riche is that they are LIBERALS and their actions speak much more loudly than their words.

 

Tree huggers but only if it fits THEIR image.

 

Typical, IMHO.

[Mr. T]

You will never be able to please the wackos. Maybe we need to shelf the whole ideal for about ten years.

 

It may save us Billions in tax dollars while they are trying to save thousands in energy bills.

[VaporTrail]

I'm still not seeing how this is nimbyism. Your article said

 

The plaintiffs, including Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, Californians for Renewable Energy, Inc. and the Texas group Lower Laguna Madre Foundation, argue that the Interior Department failed to adequately assess the wind turbine project for its potential harm to birds and whales migrating off the Massachusetts coast.

 

So, as far as I can see, this proposed green energy plan takes use of space off of the Massachusetts coastline. However, the people backing it come from California and Texas? How is that nimbyism?

 

Also, the term nouveau riche is completely new to me. I just wiki'd it and don't see how it relates, can you expand on that thought? And just because you're liberal doesn't mean you support preserving nature over green energy sources. I don't know much about this situation, so I'm not really going to make a comment on what I think should be done. But how is what they're doing dishonest and hypocritical? It just sounds to me like they're a bunch of tree-huggers that value preservation of natural habitats over their use for renewable energy. You can disagree with them all you like, but I don't think it makes them hypocrites.

[CLEVELandMILIDH]

How does a Wind turbine effect birds? I have a hard time killing'em with a shotgun, your telling me they can dodge bullets but cant miss a wind turbine. Haha ludicrous

[VaporTrail]

Their brain's the size of a pea. It really wouldn't surprise me to see them run into the blades of a wind turbine. I'm not saying it's likely to happen, but to say that they're smart enough to dodge em... I dunno. You'd think birds would be smart enough to avoid black water, but I guess not.

[Chicopee John]

Their brain's the size of a pea. It really wouldn't surprise me to see them run into the blades of a wind turbine. I'm not saying it's likely to happen, but to say that they're smart enough to dodge em... I dunno. You'd think birds would be smart enough to avoid black water, but I guess not.

 

Actually, birds are very smart animals. The term, 'bird brain' is about as off-base as could be.

 

[Chicopee John]

I misused the description, "Nouveau riche". Actually, it is quite the opposite. These folks for the most part (see Kennedy family) did not earn their riches. Instead they live, perpetually off of Great Grandaddy, Grandaddy, and Daddy's money.

[VaporTrail]

Actually, birds are very smart animals. The term, 'bird brain' is about as off-base as could be.

 

Okay, but you think they'd be smart enough, then, to get out of the way of airplanes. Yet we still see bird strikes taking down jet liners near an airport. I love the environment and animals as much as the next guy, but I'm not giving all birds the benefit of the doubt of having enough intelligence to stay away from wind turbines. Yes, some are smart and do shit like use tools, but still, their brains are tiny.

 

Anyways, I still don't see the hypocrisy in this. Unless these same groups are loud proponents of green energy, then yeah, that'd be kinda hypocritical, but the article doesn't mention anything about that, and I don't know a damn thing about any of the groups. It just sounds to me like they're environmentalists.