The Cape Wind Saga and Challenges Facing Renewable Energy
I just finished reading Cape Wind by Wendy Williams and Robert Whitcomb. For anyone interested in the challenges facing domestic development of clean, renewable energy, the book is a must-read. Knowing a little bit about the Cape Wind saga before I started the book, I began with a bit of trepidation – the last thing I needed was to raise my blood pressure reading about how the rich and powerful put their own interests above those of the rest of the American people. But as I turned the last page, I was buoyed rather than frustrated. The Cape Wind story ultimately is about how grassroots organization and open-government principles can thwart back-room political deals to benefit the wealthy few. Although no turbine has gone into Nantucket Sound yet, the developer currently plans to start construction in 2010, and the forces opposing the project, while not gone entirely, are substantially weakened.
Many of the Cape Cod yachting set come off poorly in the book, especially Alaska Congressman Don Young, Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, and former Massachusetts Governor and current presidential candidate Mitt Romney. While renewable energy advocates don't expect much from Young, the hypocrisy of Kennedy and the blatant pandering of Romney are especially eye-opening. If you are inclined to believe anything Romney is saying on the campaign trail about supporting the fight against global warming, you might not after reading Cape Wind.
Posted by David J. Petersen, partner practicing in the Sustainability and Real Estate & Land Use Practice Groups.
