Obama’s Interior: Green Light for Cape Wind

Well, it took nearly a decade, but Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced minutes ago that the Cape Wind project has been approved (with conditions) by the federal government, a green light for what has long sought to be the nation's first off-shore wind farm."The United States is leading a clean energy revolution that is shaping our future," Salazar said, calling the decision "historic" and flanked by Massachusetts governor and wind farm supporter Deval Patrick.The distinction for Cape Wind has not come easily or without review at every level of government. It literally has become a test case in every sense of the phrase.The project, 130 turbines over a 24-square-mile zone in the shallow waters of Nantucket Sound, has faced one regulatory hurdle after the next and a line of critics eager to derail it, perhaps none bigger than Sen. Edward Kennedy, whose legendary love of sailing off the Hyannisport compound he carried with him until his dying day.For full disclosure — there is a personal element in this story for me. I covered it closely as a reporter for the Cape Cod Times from roughly 2004 to 2006, a time when the political intrigue over the project seemed particularly loaded. From Kennedy to Sen. John Kerry to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, it was a hot potato and public sentiment was turning in the project's favor.Patrick, who said today the actual construction of the turbines will begin within a year, has been supportive of Cape Wind since his gubernatorial campaign. His friend, President Obama, frequently talks about increasing renewable energy output — both as a job creation device and an opportunity to cut back on dirtier forms of fuel. President Obama, pictured below, visited the Siemens Wind Turbine Blade Manufacturing Plant in Iowa Monday, the same company expected to build the massive Cape Wind machines.So I guess it's on to the lawsuits?