NIMBY concerns and renewable energy nulcear plant at Cattenom, France Danish wind farm near Copenhagen.

NIMBY concerns and renewable energy

nulcear plant at Cattenom, France

Danish wind farm near Copenhagen

All offshore wind farms plagued by NIMBY concerns

Cape Wind: to be or not to be?

saveoursound.org

view from Craigville…

capewind.org

view from Nantucket

capewind.org

Cape Wind-project of Cape Wind Associates proposed in 2000-130 turbines at 3.6MW each-hub height = 95m-blade diameter = 111m-total farm capacity = 454MW-electricity for 420,000 homes (75% of Cape’s needs)

PROS - 50% of Cape electricity currently generated by Canal Power Plant,

which burns natural gas and crude oil- avoid future oil spills

1976 spill 7.7 million gallons, 2003 spill 98,000 gallons-clean, carbon-free source of electricity-excellent wind resources in Nantucket Sound

SUPPORTED BYMassachusetts Audubon Society (but need more study)81% of Mass residents; 61% of Cape Cod residentscurrent MA governor; legislatureenvironmental groups; organized labor (jobs)

CONS- impacts on tourism, fishing, and shipping non-zero- bad precedent for federal control of public lands for corporate profit

OPPOSED BYgroup of residents who own seaside property (Kennedy compoundwithin view of the wind farm)fishermanIndian tribes

Permitting history2001: Cape Wind applies to Army Corp of Engineers for permit

ACE produces Environmental Impact Statement, which underwent extensive review

2005: federal Energy Bill transfers permitting authority to Minerals Management Service (MMS), Dept. of Interior

Apr 2006: Sen. Kennedy inserts language into a Coast Guard bill to allow MA governor (Romney, opposed to Cape Wind) to veto the project; bill never goes anywhere

Jan. 2008: MMS Environment Impact Statement released; approvalgranted, Cape Wind pursues final financing

May 2009: MA Energy Facilities Siting Board grants permit

late 2009 to present: 2 Cape Indian tribes holding up construction with claim to add Nantucket sound to list of historical sites

Apr 14, 2010: Interior Secretary Ken Salazar predicted to rule on Cape Wind permit

What about solar?-California court rules against homeowner who had unauthorized solar panels on his roof (Nov, 2009)-Sen. Diane Feinstein proposes a bill to make CA sections of Mojave desert a national monument (Dec 2009)

Background:-in 2004, conservancy group orchestrated sale of private lands to government for discounted rate-2005: Energy Policy Act, Bush declares most federal lands open to energy projects that do not involve mining; permitting runs through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)-2010: 14 solar and 5 wind projects proposed for Mojave

Permits will be evaluated over the next 2 years…

"If we cannot put solar power plants in the Mojave desert, I don't know where the hell we can put it,"

--Gov. Schwarzenegger

Yucca Mountain: Nuclear Waste NIMBY

-billions of dollars go into researching possibility of storing nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

-Bush administration supports using Yucca Mtn.

-Obama administration opposes Yucca Mtn. waste facility

Nevada residents