Congress Breaks Wind...

The next time you hear a politician from Massachusetts talking about our dependence on oil, try not to laugh. With the support of several prominent members of the MA congressional delegation (including Sen. Teddy Bear Kennedy and Rep. Delahunt), the Coast Guard authorization now includes a provision to allow Gov. Mitt Romney "to veto the proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm," a "major clean energy source."

Cape Wind Associates refer to the legislation as a "last-minute attack to the project from the Alaskan Delegation ," aka Alaskan Sen. Ted Stevens. Cape Wind goes on to say,

Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens circulated language on Friday that would allow politics to override the regulatory review of the project, even though more than 17 federal and state agencies have already devoted more than four years of effort into a detailed assessment of its benefits.

The Stevens language unfairly singles out and targets Cape Wind. It is unclear why two Alaskan politicians--first Rep. Don Young and now Senator Ted Stevens--are trying to block a project that has been approved by the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board, has received a positive Draft Environmental Impact Statement, and, according to the most recent public opinion survey by the University of Massachusetts and the University of New Hampshire is supported by the overwhelming majority of Massachusetts citizens.