Cape Considerations

The Massachusetts Audubon Society has given Cape Wind, the proposed offshore wind project in Nantucket Sound, a preliminary and conditional nod of approval. After years of study, the environmental group found that the project's 24-square-mile footprint would not adversely affect the most sensitive bird species. The group also challenged Cape Wind and government officials to accept "comprehensive and rigorous monitoring to reduce the risk to birds and other wildlife." If built, the wind farm is anticipated to supply Cape Cod and the islands with 75 percent of its energy needs.

The project remains controversial, with many opponents citing the adverse impact it would have on ocean vistas. In a statement, Mass Audubon President Laura Johnson suggests the critics in the low-lying region should be worried about bigger things -- like, for example, sea level.

Rising sea levels caused by warming will flood low-lying barrier beaches and islands that we all enjoy and that serve as critical habitat for coastal birds, including the endangered roseate tern and threatened piping plover. In addition, our safety may be threatened by increasing storm intensity and storm surge related to sea-level rise and a warmer planet.

The consequences of climate warming compel us to increase energy conservation as a first priority. And, to continue to supply our energy needs, wind should be tapped as the most successful and readily available of all renewable energy technologies. The benefits and detriments of Cape Wind must be balanced against the significant threats to Nantucket Sound posed by fossil-fuel use and rapid climate change.

To read the position of the Massachusetts Chapter of the Sierra Club on the Cape Wind project as of last year, see the Summer 2005 issue of the chapter newsletter, The Sierran (pdf).