Cape Wind approved by Obama administration

BOSTON – The Obama administration last week announced approval of Cape Wind, the long-stalled offshore wind farm in Nantucket Sound, setting the stage for the first such development in American waters.
Cape Wind Associates LLC plans to build 130 turbines capable of generating up to 420 megawatts of electricity off Cape Cod, enough to power more than 200,000 homes, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said.
Salazar said Cape Wind would be “the first of many projects up and down the Atlantic coast.” The turbines – manufactured by Germany’s Siemens AG – would rise 400 feet above the seabed in a 25-square-mile area north of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Island.
The $1 billion project, first announced in 2001, drew opposition from nearby residents, including the late U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., businesses and American Indian groups.
Salazar gave his approval with a few stipulations, including requirements for more archeological studies, fewer turbines (with the number reduced to 130 from 170) and design modifications to reduce the impact on ocean views. &#8226