A Mighty Wind

The Cape Wind tempest seems headed to an April "decision" by U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. Salazar recently visited the area and met with project proponents and opponents, including Martha's Vineyard's Wampanoag Indians, who have made an 11th-hour claim of a "sacred place" to block the project.

The forces at work for and against Cape Wind are many and powerful, and the issues complex. One would think northeast liberals and conservatives would march together to support a wind farm that promises to provide cheaper and cleaner energy, and reduce "global warming."  The project forecasts annual savings of 113 million gallons of oil and to offset a million tons of carbon dioxide every year.  Well, not if the turbines will be visible (with the help of binoculars) from the deck of your waterfront summer cottage on the Cape, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.

Opponents, including the Kennedys, Kerrys and Romneys, are concerned about their water views and property values.  The WSJ reviewed the book Cape Wind in May 2007, excerpted here:

"From Sen. Kennedy's compound five miles away, a 417-foot tower appears about as tall as the thumbnail at the end of your outstretched arm. It makes you wonder how Cape Wind's opponents would react if a developer planned a pharmaceutical factory in, say, Hyannis -- civil disobedience, perhaps? Exquisitely catered, of course."

Here are computer simulations of the aesthetic devastation, as seen from the coastlines of Martha's Vineyard  and Nantucket.

The Daily Show got to the crux of the story.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Jason Jones 180 - Nantucket
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis