Birds vs. windmills
Audubon Society supports comprehensive planning of offshore wind energy projects.

From the Cape Cod Times, May 27, 2003
The Massachusetts Audubon Society recently released a position statement on the proposed wind farm on Nantucket Sound.

In a nutshell, the society supports "the responsible planning" and development of offshore renewable energy resources; facilities that minimize environmental impacts; and more study, including three years of seasonal avian information as part of the environmental review process.

Unfortunately, neither the state nor the federal government has responsibly planned offshore wind energy development. The developers, not the government, are driving the process.

"A statewide plan for siting wind energy facilities should be developed, with public input, resulting in a blueprint for the development of wind energy over the next five to ten years," according to the Audubon Society. "The resulting plan should identify areas where both the wind energy is commercially viable and environmental impacts are minimized."

So far, however, state and federal programs have not been developed to guide offshore wind farm development. The government, according to Audubon, should "ensure appropriate compensation to the public, and avoid unacceptable conflicts with other public interests in offshore public trust areas."

Building an industrial plant over 24 square miles of Nantucket Sound - the size of Yarmouth - represents an unacceptable conflict with other interests in offshore public trust areas.

(Published: May 27, 2003)