Kennedy opposes alternative energy---more splits in the Democrats

From the Washington Post:

Mr. Kennedy, a staunch environmentalist, opposes the Cape Wind project, which will place windmills in the sound's shallows to create electricity for customers in Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.
Critics say the Massachusetts Democrat doesn't want the Cape Wind project in his own back yard along with 130 windmills that might clutter the water view of the Kennedy clan's vacation home. Sen. John Kerry, Massachusetts' junior senator and another key green ally, called attempts to derail the project an "insult."

Mr. Young, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, is lobbying members of a House-Senate conference on the Coast Guard supplemental appropriations bill.
He wants them to add his proposal to require windmills to be set back 1.5 nautical miles from any shipping or ferry lanes. Such a buffer requirement would make the Cape Wind project impossible in such a narrow sound.
"Given the potential dangers of siting one of these wind farms in a busy shipping area, [Mr. Kennedy] thinks it is worth the conferees' consideration," Miss Wagoner said.
However, developers of the Cape Wind project say the legislation is specifically directed at them, would cripple the project economically and is a classic case of the "not in my back yard" (NIMBY) attitude toward developments that serve the common good.
"The NIMBY opponents have spent more than $1 million lobbying in D.C.," says Mark Rodgers, Cape Wind project spokesman. "The Young amendment will kill Cape Wind in one fell swoop, which appears to be the intention.
"It would also impose on the U.S. the most stringent laws in the world on offshore wind energy development," said Mr. Rodgers, who noted that oil drilling rigs are only required to be 500 feet from shipping lanes.
Asked about Mr. Kennedy's opposition to the plan, Mr. Rodgers said, "To say you favor wind power, but not here, where you live in a very windy place, calls into question your real commitment to wind power."

And from the Boston Globe:

The maneuver to stop the wind farm is clearly a backroom deal, and they're going to get called publicly on it," said John Passacantando, executive director of Greenpeace USA. The Democrats are going to kill the first big offshore wind farm in the United States because of their relationship with Ted Kennedy."

The 130-turbine, 24-square-mile cluster of windmills would be about 8 miles from Kennedy's home in Hyannis Port, and he has long opposed it. The Coast Guard bill would give Governor Mitt Romney, another wind farm opponent, the power to veto it, even if the project clears all other hurdles.

Kennedy rejected suggestions that he doesn't like the wind farm because it would be near his Cape home, and said the project probably wouldn't be visible from the Kennedy compound. He said he's against the project because it would create a range of environmental and navigational problems and would hurt tourism, one of the area's key industries.

Haha, clearly this guy is an environmentalist. He actually cares about lowering energy prices for Americans and reducing our dependence on foreign oil, right? In this run up to the election, how can he afford to take this hit?

In this time were we absolutely MUST start taking alternative energy seriously, why are our politicians not doing so? I'm not just saying this because of high gasoline prices. Sure, that is a consideration. But, I think the bigger reason here is to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. In addition to that, some estimates say that we could run out of economically drillable oil in about 35-50 years. That means that if we don't start taking action now, by the time I retire, gas will probably cost upwards of 10 bucks a gallon. I just made up that figure, but it very possibly could be true.

There is so much potential in alternative energy, I just have no idea why we're not taking advantage of it. As more and more alternative energy sources come online, prices for just keep getting cheaper and cheaper. Wind power and solar power cost nowhere near as much as they used to do to increased production and technological advances. So, why are we not tapping these resources?

Seems to be the classic NIMBY case.

Personally, I think wind farms are freakin cool to look at:


Tony over at Bush the Idiot (ok, I don't like the name, but it's fun arguing with him....and occasionaly he's right), who likes Kennedy actually called him out on this one. Way to go Tony!

This story can also be seen over at GOP and College and Right From Left.

Tags: Farms, Ted Kennedy, Alternative energy