Secretary Ken Salazar said he was “very bullish” about the future of offshore wind energy, but refused to give any hint of whether or not he would approve the controversial Cape Wind project, during a media conference aboard the Coast Guard vessel Ida Lewis on Tuesday afternoon. Speaking on board the buoy tender at the site of the proposed development at Horseshoe Shoal, Secretary Salazar indicated that the prospect of any compromise between those for and against the wind farm appeared unlikely. “I’m not holding my breath,” he said. Beyond that he was vague, however, saying the ultimate outcome could be anything from a denial of the project to approval with some mitigation.

The Coast Guard vessel carrying the Interior Secretary put in at Vineyard Haven at about 11:30 Tuesday morning; the Secretary met earlier on the Cape with Mashpee Wampanoag representatives to view the sunrise. The Wampanoag tribes of the Cape and Vineyard have objected to the Cape Wind plan partly because they view of the rising sun over Nantucket Sound as important their cultural and religious beliefs.

Accompanied by a gaggle of media and various government associates including experts in the field of archeology, and wearing his trademark cowboy hat, Secretary Salazar rode out to a meteorological tower in the middle of the shoal. Seas were calm and the weather was cold but clear.

The Secretary is due to make a decision on Cape Wind by April.

A complete story about the visit will appear in the Friday Gazette.