AGHCA Summer Reception To Focus on Wind Power

AQUINNAH/GAY HEAD COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION (AGHCA) will host a “wine and cheese” gathering at the Vanderhoop Homestead on Aquinnah Circle at the Gay Head Cliffs on Monday, August 15 (rain date August 16), starting at 5 p.m. The evening will feature a talk by Mark London, the Executive Director of the Martha’s Vineyard Commission” about the issue of wind power and how it will affect Aquinnah and the Vineyard generally. Advocates both pro and con will be invited and questions will

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Wind turbine focus shifts farther offshore

A state government plan to open waters close to the south shore of Martha’s Vineyard to industrial-scale wind power generation now appears unlikely to proceed, following the release of a draft wind energy plan by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission.

Most of the two areas identified by the commonwealth for potential turbines, one near Noman’s Land and the other near the Elizabeth Islands, would be excluded from development for scenic reasons and all but a sliver of the rest are deemed

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Wampanoags Sue in U.S. Court Against Cape Wind Associates

The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) has filed a lawsuit to try to block the development of the Cape Wind project on Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound.

In a statement issued Friday, the tribe announced the tribal government had authorized the long-threatened lawsuit against the Department of the Interior‘s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, which has approved the 130-turbine wind farm.

Tribal historic preservation officer Bettina Washington said yesterday that the complaint was filed on July

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Sight, Sound, Savings: Tribe Weighs Issues on Wind Turbines

The decision to build land-based wind turbines on Wampanoag Tribe land in Aquinnah will likely come down to three factors: aesthetics, acoustics and economics.

The results of a wind feasibility study unveiled at the tribal administration building in Aquinnah last Friday showed that while turbines could deliver big environmental and economic benefits in an area with wind resources it characterized as “superb,” it could come at a cost to the scenic and acoustic values in town.

Backed by grant

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Wampanoags evaluate wind power on tribal lands

A study of wind energy feasibility concludes that vigorous winds blow over the tribal lands of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), and if they are harnessed they could provide the tribe with financial and environmental benefits.

Potential locations for a wind turbines studied in a feasibility study commissioned by the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) Photo

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State set to flip switch on wind deal

The state Department of Public Utilities is expected to decide this week whether the proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm is a good deal for consumers.

Cape Wind and National Grid had asked for a decision by today but sources with knowledge of the proceedings said the agency’s ruling is likely to come later in the week.

The DPU first took up the question of whether Cape Wind is cost-effective after National Grid agreed in May to buy half the

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Tribal Wind Energy Feasibility Study Results To Be Presented

Received via email:

Wuneekeesuq, everyone!

The Wampanoag Planning Department extends an open invitation to the Island community to attend a public hearing on Friday, November 12, 2010 from 5-6:00pm to review the results of a Wind Feasibility Study conducted on Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) trust lands in the Town of Aquinnah.  The Tribe collected wind data for over one year at the old LORAN Station site and has drafted a report that details the technical feasibility of erecting

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VCS Action Alert

Dear VCS members:

Much attention continues to be focused on windfarm development in Vineyard waters allowed under the Massachusetts Oceans Act. Some of you may be intersted in attending a meeting to discuss wind farm development in Rhode island waters south of the Vineyard will take place on this THURSDAY, 10/21 at 5pm at the Oak Bluffs Library.

Massachusetts and Rhode Island recently agreed to collaborate on wind development in a designated area of

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Government sued over Cape Wind project

The federal government’s approval of the proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm earlier this year is facing its first legal challenge.

A coalition of nine individuals, environmental organizations and the project’s primary opposition group, the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, filed a lawsuit yesterday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. They claim the U.S. Department of Interior violated a host of federal laws in granting Cape Wind permission to build 130 wind turbines in the Sound.

The plaintiffs argue in

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FAA Says Yes To Cape Wind

The Federal Aviation Administration this week gave its imprimatur to the Cape Wind development on Nantucket Sound, but with expensive strings attached.

In its decision, the FAA determined the 130-turbine wind farm would have “no substantial effect” on air traffic, but also insisted the project developers pay for the upgrading of radar covering the area.

The upgrade to the radar system at Otis Air Force Base, intended to ensure the spinning blades of the 440-foot-tall structures do not cause interference,

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Cape Wind deal means dollars for tribes, higher costs for consumers

Three weeks ago, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar approved Cape Wind’s plan to place 130 wind turbines on Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound. The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe opposed the Cape Wind project on cultural grounds.

Opponents of the wind farm, including both tribes, have said they will pursue legal action to block construction. But the Wampanoags also stand to reap millions if the wind farm is built.

The official, 75-page Department of

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Interior Secretary Approves Cape Wind

By MIKE SECCOMBE

Developer Jim Gordon had something to smile about Wednesday.

The federal government has given its blessing to the development of Cape Wind, America’s first big offshore wind farm, on Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound.

The Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, announced his decision to approve the project, with only minor changes, at a joint press conference with Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick in the state house in Boston at noon on Wednesday. In words suggesting

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Secretary Salazar approves Cape Wind project in sound

The federal Department of the Interior has approved the Cape Wind renewable energy project destined for Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar traveled to Boston to announcement his decision. Gov. Deval Patrick, who joined Mr. Salazar at the State House ceremony, said he expects construction on the massive offshore wind farm in Nantucket Sound to begin “within a year.”

Mr. Salazar said he will require the Cape Wind developer to agree to additional binding measures

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Wind Energy and the Vineyard in the News

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Recent wind energy articles from various news sources are linked below.  If you have run across other interesting articles concerning wind power and the Vineyard, please click here to send us an email with the link.

Regulators Approve First Offshore Wind Farm in U.S., New York Times

Nine-year Wind Farm Fight Splits Cape Cod, CNN

Massachusetts tribes aim to take the wind out of a wind farm, Los Angeles Times

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Blow dealt to Cape Wind project

Opponents of the proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm scored a key victory yesterday when a federal panel on historic preservation recommended that U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar kill the project.

The recommendation from the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) is the final piece required in the review of Cape Wind’s effects on historic properties, including sites considered sacred by Indian tribes on Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard.

The federal panel joins the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, the Wampanoag Tribe

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