Gov. Deval Patrick, a strong clean-energy proponent who favors the project, and a large contingent of state officials were at Salazar’s side for the announcement at the State House.
“Thank you for this day,” said Patrick. “America needs offshore wind power. It’s been a long time coming. We’re making wind power a reality on our Nantucket Sound.
“We are on our way and if we get wind energy right, the whole world will be our customer,” Patrick said.
Patrick and the governors of five other East Coast states recently sent Salazar a letter in favor of the project.
Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) wasn’t at the State House and instead voiced his disapproval.
“I am strongly opposed to the administration’s misguided decision to move forward with Cape Wind. While I support the concept of wind power as an alternative source of energy, Nantucket Sound is a national treasure that should be protected from industrialization,” Brown said in a statement. “With unemployment hovering near 10 percent in Massachusetts, the Cape Wind project will jeopardize industries that are vital to the Cape’s economy, such as tourism and fishing, and will also impact aviation safety and the rights of the Native American tribes in the area. I am also skeptical about the cost-savings and job number predictions we have heard from proponents of the project.”
Salazar said the 468-megawatt project would create 1,000 construction jobs, presumably part-time jobs to construct the wind farm.
Neither Salazar nor Patrick were able to answer questions at today’s press conference about how much Cape Wind would cost or how high the taxpayer subsidies would be to fund the project.
Read the complete story at The Boston Herald.