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R.I.P., Cape Wind (bostonglobe.com)

schwit1 quotes the Boston Globe: What a long, slow death it has been for Massachusetts's first proposed offshore wind farm. But now, its proponents are finally pulling the plug. While others in the energy industry considered the Cape Wind project dead, developer Jim Gordon didn't quit after losing power contracts he needed for financing in early 2015, or after state regulators yanked permission for a power line connection last year.

Another big blow came later in 2016 when Cape Wind foes worked their magic on Beacon Hill. They successfully lobbied lawmakers to prevent Cape Wind from benefitting from a major energy bill, one that requires utilities to buy large amounts of offshore wind. This was exactly the kind of legislation Gordon needed. But he wasn't being allowed at the party...

We're embarking on a new era. Wind turbines are on their way for deeper waters, south of Martha's Vineyard. They won't be Gordon's. But at least he can take some credit, in his defeat, for being a pioneer.

4 of 228 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Lack of Property Rights by bobbied · · Score: 1, Troll

    You are basically saying that we are ignoring the Constitution... And I agree with you. Government needs to be as unobtrusive in our lives and businesses as possible, yet we've made it into the one organization that controls everything imaginable. Our constitution was not written to do this, quite the opposite. We may no longer have a king to pay tribute to, but what we now have is far worse, a government run on regulations written by unaccountable bureaucrats that demands ever more tribute (taxes) be paid.

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    "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
  2. Re:Is it just me but... by blindseer · · Score: -1, Troll

    Do you realize that a portion of those power lines that kill birds is due to the need to transmit power from the windmills to where it is used? You may ask, what is that portion? Best estimate is about 5% from what I found on the interwebs, based on that we get 5% of our electricity (approximately for both the world and the USA) from wind now.

    If we expand wind power from the current 5% to 50%, which seems to be what many demand, then it's not a trivial 1% of birds killed by windmills any more. Now it's a crisis of 10% of birds killed by windmills.

    If there is a desire is to go beyond 50%, perhaps not to produce all of our electricity by wind but to have overcapacity to diminish the need for expensive electrical storage, account for future growth, and/or allow for outages from storms bringing down power lines and windmills, then we will see even greater numbers of birds killed.

    We know that windmills will kill birds. We know that this is not a trivial problem to solve. We know that if windmills become more common that this will not be a triviality of bird kill numbers.

    Dismiss the problem now if you like. At some point this cannot be dismissed so easily.

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    I am armed because I am free. I am free because I am armed.
  3. Re:Is it just me but... by DogDude · · Score: -1, Troll

    that kill birds

    Now show me a modern natural gas powered electric plant, and I see a good thing.

    So you want a device that kills all living things, instead of just birds? You Russian trolls need to work on your logic.

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    I don't respond to AC's.
  4. Re:Lack of Property Rights by DogDude · · Score: 1, Troll

    You're agreeing with a Russian troll, dummy.
    Government needs to be as unobtrusive in our lives and businesses as possible, yet we've made it into the one organization that controls everything imaginable.

    What in the fuck are you talking about, exactly?

    --
    I don't respond to AC's.