Cape Wind, the controversial 130-turbine project slated for construction on Horseshoe Shoal, cleared its final regulatory hurdle this week when the Federal Aviation Administration determined that the project would not pose a hazard to aviation.
On the drawing board for 10 years, Cape Wind is planned to be the country’s largest offshore wind farm, covering 50 square miles in Nantucket Sound.
“With this FAA determination of no hazard we have now completed the permitting process,” Cape Wind Associates spokesman Mark Rodgers said yesterday.
Cape Wind has moved into the financing stage of the project, Mr. Rodgers said, and has engaged Barclay’s Capital to manage the finances. Chappaquiddick summer resident Theodore Roosevelt 4th is leading that effort, he said.
This is the fourth determination of no hazard Cape Wind has received in more than 10 years of permitting process. The FAA announced its latest findings on Wednesday after an aeronautical study found that the turbines were not a safety hazard to local air traffic.
The Cape Wind turbines are planned to be 440 feet tall, and the FAA ruled that only turbines exceeding the 440 feet above ground level would result in “substantial adverse effect” and would then “warrant a determination of hazard to air navigation.”
The study “revealed that the structure does not exceed obstruction standards and would not be a hazard to air navigation,” provided the turbines are marked in accordance with FAA standards. The determination expires in February 2014.
The study also found that the turbines will not have a substantial adverse effect on radar and air traffic control towers.
“Studies indicate that there would be no noticeable effect on beacon radar service because the proposed turbines are not like to affect the detection of aircraft with an operational transponder,” the report found. The radar sites analyzed — North Truro Cape, Nantucket and Cape Cod Coast Guard Air Station in Falmouth — are beyond the 2.4 nautical miles from the proposed wind turbines, “and thus the FAA does not anticipate that the wind turbines would cause any beam distortion.”
Construction is expected to begin in 2013, Mr. Rodgers said.
Opponents to the wind farm characterized the ruling as a political move and promised further appeal “fairly soon.”
“Today’s Federal Aviation Administration ruling shows a complete and total disregard for public safety,” Audra Parker, spokesman for the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound said in a statement. “The agency charged with protecting pilots and passengers has completely abdicated its responsibility to the public because of political pressure.”
“No pilot or passenger should allow this politically-driven decision to stand. This decision can once again be appealed. With one victory behind us, there is no reason to believe we won’t win again.”
Another potential legal obstacle to the wind farm was recently removed when the Martha’s Vineyard Dukes County Fishermen’s Association dropped a federal lawsuit after reaching a settlement agreement with Cape Wind. The agreement calls for a trust fund to be set up to enable Vineyard fishermen to buy permits; Cape Wind will put an unspecified amount of money into the trust fund. The Martha’s Vineyard Fishermen’s Preservation Trust will buy fishing permits and lease them at affordable rates to Island fishermen.
This article appears in August 14, 2012.
Good. Finally.
This is never going to be, it will never pass congress, and when Mitt Romney wins the election he will not waste our money on these green energy projects.
FAA IGNORES DC COURT RULING and FEDERAL INVESTIGATION ON CAPE WIND INDUSTRIAL PLANT
WASHINGTON, DC – Despite recent charges of political influence pedaling and an ongoing Congressional investigation, the Obama administration today blatantly allowed the FAA to once again to ignore an October DC Court ruling and the endangerment to the lives of millions of American airline passengers traversing the dangerous airspace over Nantucket Sound.
The FAA, who must have a thirst for lawsuits and Federal investigations, has once again issued a “Determination of No Hazard” while at the same time stonewalling a Congressional document request.
The incredible thing is the blatant acknowledgement of violations of existing FAA regulations repeated throughout its own 12 page decision.
Cape Wind is a proposed 25 square mile, 44 story industrial plant, larger than the island of Manhattan in the middle of a small body of water known as Nantucket Sound in the center of hundreds of thousands of low altitude flights a year about 5 miles off the beaches and in between Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket islands.
With incredible gall and in the middle of an ongoing Congressional investigation and document request spearheaded by Darrel l Issa, Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the FAA today issued what is essentially a rehashed repeat 12 page determination of the previous 4 page determination that was quickly thrown out and voided last October by the DC appeal courts.
In today’s determination, the FAA has once again ignored a major DC Circuit Court ruling, its own regulations on changing established VFR routes, Electro Magnetic In-Line of Sight interference with air traffic control systems and the long established air traffic patterns of the fog infested (200 days a year) airspace.
In a letter dated AUG 8, 2012 to President Obama, Darrell Issa, Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee demanded that the President and Whitehouse staff turn over all documents related to the involvement with the 1705 Federal loan program involving Solyndra and Cape Wind.
Here is the link to the actual letter. Cape Wind is referenced beginning on page 4.
http://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Chairman-Issa-to-President-Obama-8-8-12.pdf
Experts familiar with FAA regulations and the DC Appeals Court ruling feel that the FAA may have made it easy for another over turning of the blatantly and poorly written FAA determination on Cape Wind, while giving Darrell Issa and the Congressional Oversight and Reform Committee even more evidence of the Obama administrations’ green energy at any expense including risking the lives of literally millions of American air commuters.
What are they going to do 10-15 years when wind energy is obsolete-the horse and buggy of energy production. There will be more efficient , less costly types of energy soon.
Is there a section in the Wind Farm agreement to demolish these monstrosities when there time has come?