MMS Overwhelmed by 40,000+ Comments on Cape Wind

Agency permanently extends comment period for alt. energy leases

[Originally posted at Red, Green, and Blue on May 5, 2008] In the fall of 2001, Jim Gordon of Energy Management Inc. (EMI) announced his intentions to build a 420 megawatt wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts - the nation's first. Now, the long permitting process that was made even longer by powerful opposition groups, is nearing resolution...finally.

More than 40,000 individuals and organizations have submitted comments on an environmental review of the wind farm proposed for Nantucket Sound, according to an article in the Cape Cod Times.

"I've never seen anything like this before," said Rodney Cluck, Cape Wind project manager for the U.S. Minerals Management Service, the lead federal agency to review Cape Wind Associates' plan to build 130 wind turbines in Nantucket Sound, off the coast of Massachusetts. Originally, the comments were set to be released last Friday, but officials at the Minerals Management Service postponed the release to give agency staffers more time to organize the overwhelming public response to the proposed wind farm.

As a result of the scoping process' popularity, the MMS announced that they would be preemptively extending the comment period for all of the remaining "Alternative Energy Leases" from 30 to 60 days.

The final number of public comments submitted on the agency's Cape Wind draft environmental report has yet to be tallied. But it is quite telling that an earlier 2005 report on the same project issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers produced one-tenth the number of comments than this one indicates that MMS did something right since taking over the review of Cape Wind from the Army Corps as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (As an aside, I think it also says something about the Corps of Engineers' ability to adequately conduct a thorough public scoping process).

Opponents remain critical; supporters remain confident

The Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, the project's most vocal opponent, enlisted 40 experts to review the report. The hired guns produced a 3,000-page critique of the Cape Wind proposal. One theme of critique coming from private scientists as well as public ones, was that the report's information on migratory birds and fishery habitats where the project would be located is inadequate. "At the very least, the (report) should explain why recommended studies and analyses were not conducted and the ramifications of not having that information," Michael Bartlett, supervisor for the New England Field Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Despite the criticisms of the MMS report, the vast majority of comments submitted will be in favor of the project, predicted Mark Rodgers, Communications Director for Cape Wind Associates.

A record of decision from the agency indicating approval or disapproval of the Cape Wind project is expected to be released sometime in the winter. And only then will this long, arduous journey be over...right?

Cape Cod Times

Other Posts Related to the Cape Wind Project:

"The Politicos Chiming in On Cape Wind" :: sustainablog (8/2005)

"(D)emocracy: Tell the Feds What You Think About Cape Wind" :: Planetsave (2/2008)

"Survey Finds Overwhelming Support for Cape Wind" :: ecopolitology (8/2007)

"Breaking: MMS Report Favorable on Cape Wind" :: sustainablog (1/2008)

"Cape Wind Opponent to Step Down" :: sustainablog (1/2008)

Photo: © Kamil Sobócki | Dreamstime.com

Dept. of Energy Selects Grid R&D Projects

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that it will contribute $50 million in federal funding to nine demonstration projects to modernize the nation's electrical energy grid, with the goal of reducing the peak load electricity demand by 15 percent over five years. The list of demonstration projects are as follows:

1.Allegheny Power will develop the “West Virginia Super Circuit” in conjunction with West Virginia University, North Carolina State Universiy will improve distribution system performance, reliability, and security of electric supply through the integration of distributed resources and advanced technologies.

2. Rocky Mountain Power and P&E AUTOMATION, will demonstrate load reduction through an integrated network of diverse renewable generation technologies and intelligent automation. The project will integrate renewable generation and energy storage resources, including compressed-air generation technology, wind-turbines, heat recovery systems, solar trough booster technology, a steam turbine, and hydro-turbine resources.

3. Chevron Energy Solutions will collaborate with Alameda County, PG&E, the University of Wisconsin, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Energy and Environmental Economics to significantly reduce peak load and measurably improve power reliability at the Santa Rita Jail.

4. The City of Fort Collins, in cooperation with Larimer County, Colorado State University, InteGrid Lab, and others will research, develop, and demonstrate a 3.5 megawatt coordinated and integrated system of Mixed Distributed Resources in Fort Collins to achieve a 20-30 percent peak load reduction on multiple distribution feeders.

5. Consolidated Edison Co. of New York, Inc., along with Verizon, Innovative Power, Infotility, and Enernex, will develop and demonstrate methodologies to achieve true interoperability between a delivery company and end-use retail electric customers, enhancing the reliability of the distribution grid and the efficiency of its operations.

6. The Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) and others will work to balance loads with distributed resources, advanced sensing, switching, feeder reconfiguration, and controls. This effort will be replicable at any municipality-sized system.

7. San Diego Gas and Electric will develop a dispatchable distribution feeder for peak load reduction and wind-farming in conjunction Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the University of San Diego, Motorola, and Lockheed Martin. The project aims to prove the effectiveness of integrating multiple distributed energy resources with advanced controls and communication systems to improve stability and reduce peak loads on feeders/substations.

8. The University of Hawaii, in cooperation with General Electric, Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., Maui Electric Company, Columbus Electric Cooperative, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Sentech, and UPC Wind, will explore the management of distribution system resources for improved service quality and reliability, transmission congestion relief, and grid support functions.

9. The University of Nevada will partner with Nevada Power Company, and GE Ecomagination to address the construction of energy efficient homes that overcome electricity grid integration, control, and communications issues by building integrated photovoltaic systems, battery energy storage, and consumer products linked to advanced meters that enable and facilitate an efficient response to consumer energy demands.

Department of Energy press release
Photo: johnnyalive

Feds Give Thumbs-up to Cape Wind

According to the 718-page Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) released today by the Minerals Management Service, the proposed wind farm would have little lasting impact on wildlife, navigation and tourism - claims that Cape Wind supporters have been making since the project was proposed seven years ago.

Read more...

Audio: Mitt Romney on the Enviroment

This week's Living on Earth has a good story about Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his environmental policies. Now I don't know much about Romney's enviropolitics, except for the fact that while Governor of Massachusetts, he made national headlines with his opposition to Cape Wind, the proposed offshore wind energy project off the coast of Cape Cod. It wasn't so much that his position on Cape Wind was headline-worthy in itself, but rather, that he and Senator Ted Kennedy(D-MA) were on the same side of the issue (but that post will have to wait).

Including the forum that Living on Earth hosted last fall, the radio program is covering all of the presidential candidates' stances on environmental issues. If you are not familiar with Living on Earth, I highly recommend it, especially for its rather sharp political takes. Also, Grist has compiled the candidates' views on climate and energy issues into a single handy resource with lots of links.

Photo: Fecke

MMS Establishes Offshore Wind Guidelines (sort of)

January 11, 2007

The U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS) has formally established an interim adaptive management program called the Alternative Energy and Alternate Use Program to regulate the development of offshore wind projects on the outer continental shelf. The new program puts forth 52 "best management practices to minimize potential adverse impacts of future projects" but has no impact on the imminent decision in the proposed Cape Wind project.

In a bit of bureaucratic reorganization, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 authorized MMS to regulate offshore wind development, thus pulling the carpet out from under Cape Wind, America's first proposed offshore wind energy project. The proposal was awaiting final approval in 2005 when Sen. Edward Kennedy was able to place a moratorium on offshore wind development until the permitting process was relocated out of the jurisdiction of the Army Corps of Engineers and into the jurisdiction of the MMS, an arm of the Department of the Interior that deals primarily with offshore oil and gas leases.

Photo: Danish Windpower Association (www.windpower.org)

Survey Finds Overwhelming Support for Wind

New and Improved! Now with Even More Empirics!

The political back-and-forth in the Cape Wind debate rolls on. Renewable Energy Access has just shed some light on a new iteration of a Massachusetts energy survey.The Opinion Research Corporation poll for the Civil Society Institute has found that Massachusetts citizens are, perhaps, not as divided over wind energy development as they have been portrayed by the media and opposition groups.

From ecopolitology

read more | digg story

Small Wind on the Cape: A Joke or a Stroke of Political Brilliance?

[Here's some more juicy Cape Wind fodder]

Is Christy Mihos joking or is he using some some of that well placed "strategery." Mihos owns two properties on Great Island in West Yarmouth, supposedly within sight of the proposed Cape Wind location. And now the former gubernatorial candidate of Massachusetts, and present co-chair of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound has suggested an alternative to the original Cape Wind plan. Mihos has volunteered the sites of his convenience stores as spots for wind turbines. Here's the details from the AP: "The turbines proposed for Mihos’ Hyannis store will rise 31 feet above the pavement, according to plans filed with the town. Each turbine would generate about 2,600 kilowatts per year."

Wendy Williams, co-author of the unambiguously one-sided book, Cape Wind, believes Mihos is setting up an elaborate practical joke. She writes in an e-mail: "Let's do the math. One of Cape Wind's 3.6-megawatt turbines in Nantucket Sound would be equal to how many of Christy Mihos' 1.5-kilowatt toys? About 2,400. So to replace the [Cape Wind] project, Mihos would have to put up about 312,000 of his little jokes all around the Cape."

However, I'm not so sure that Ms. Williams gets it. Quite often, political strategy is considered "political theater," and this is a perfect example By showing that he is willing to erect small wind on-site at his many stores, he is publicly displaying that he is not opposed to (the concept) ofwind energy as a potential power source. Said Mihos: "I think wind power is a wonderful idea."

Whether or not I agree with Mr Mihos' politics, I think it is a rather brilliant move on his part.

Stay tuned for more on small wind v. big wind...

Cape Wind on The Daily Show

Daily Show Covers Cape Wind!

The Daily Show has aimed its brilliant satirical gaze on the Cape Wind project--a fascinating political stew brewing in the shallow water of Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound. The first in a two part segment is tentatively set to begin on Monday or Tuesday August 6/7th.

This from Cape Cod Today:

"The Daily Show selected Jason Jones, the correspondent most likely to take his shirt off, to send to the Cape. Brace yourselves for shots of a shirtless Jones sunning himself on a yacht or splashing around on a beach.

Individuals for and against Cape Wind were interviewed. The people for Cape Wind felt more comfortable with the Daily Show camera crew, although they may have been duped. Audra Parker, who is with the anti-Cape Wind Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, said of her Daily Show interview: "I wouldn't say it was pleasant.""

Well, I bet it wasn't pleasant Audra. However, I am guessing that some, perhaps many, will find it quite pleasant watching you sweat, evade and squirm as the Daily Show exposes your alliance as the aesthetically narrow-minded, NIMBYist, self-serving, special interest group that it is. Pleasant indeed!

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