"Cape Wind Receives Federal Approval to Begin Construction"

"Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Tuesday that the federal government has approved construction of the controversial wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts, which could commence this fall.

Cape Wind, a proposed 130-turbine wind farm spanning 25 miles in the Nantucket Sound, has been tangled in a decade-long dispute over issues ranging from increased power costs for customers to the impact on local fishing grounds & water views. The state Supreme Court rejected those claims, and the Obama administration has been a staunch supporter of the project as a way to create jobs and spur offshore wind development in the U.S.

Mr. Salazar said that his agency 'has taken extraordinary steps to fully evaluate Cape Wind's potential impacts on environmental and cultural resources of Nantucket Sound.' He said that construction for the project as outlined by Cape Wind Associates, the developer, could start this fall.

The 420-megawatt project will produce enough electricity to power 400,000 homes in Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket."

Naureen S. Malik reports for the Wall St. Journal April 19, 2011.