The controversial Cape Wind Farm off the coast of Cape Cod has received approval for its Environmental Impact Report. The project will now advance to the state permitting process.
Cape Wind involves the development of 130 Wind Turbine Generators on a grid over 25 square miles in Nantucket Sound known as Horseshoe Shoals, located in federal waters. The project also includes cables that transmit the electric power to the mainland, making landfall in the Town of Yarmouth and passing through Massachusetts’s territorial waters, generally three nautical miles from shore. The portion of Cape Wind located in federal waters is currently under federal environmental review led by the US Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service.
The $10 million Cape Wind mitigation package consists of:
” $780,000 towards the restoration of Bird Island, off the town of Marion in Buzzards Bay. At 1.5 acres in size, Bird Island provides prime nesting habitat for Roseate and Common Terns, but the island is subject to significant and accelerating erosion. The enhancement of nesting habitat on Bird Island will benefit the same tern population that is subject to potential impacts from the wind turbine array.
” $4.22 million towards natural resource preservation, marine habitat restoration, and coastal recreation enhancement projects in the area of Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard.
” An estimated $5.6 million in Federal Lease Payments over 20 years, representing 27 percent of the revenues received by the federal government.
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