Cape Cod's Festering Wind Follies

Phrases like: pose significant risks – jeopardize public safety – the choice of a highly conflicted location – continues to face litigation and opposition, were recently used to describe the Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound (Cape Wind's unlucky 13 years). A closer look at this problematic wind project problem offers a stark parallel to Falmouth’s wind turbine troubles.

This spring’s Falmouth Town Meeting ear-marked $476,000 for funds supporting the fickle wind problem. Add to that the $1 million original project startup ‘Wind Turbine Reserve Account’ that’s been blown through in 4 years. Phrases like: its cost is exorbitantly high – burden families, businesses and communities throughout the commonwealth seem alarmingly applicable to our Cape Cod wind direction. And the state $1.8 million financial bailout proposal to Falmouth seems like pouring gasoline on a fire.

The phrase: Massachusetts businesses and residents would get saddled with the bills, is the state’s act of contrition for what it did to Falmouth.  The Commonwealth’s electric rate-payers will be footing the state’s bailout of what has become a state subsided renewable energy money pit (remember Solyndra?).

And while Cape Wind and Falmouth continue to face litigation and opposition, it’s become quite clear that these two poorly planned and painfully patronized wind energy follies will last some time longer.  Leading me to conclude that government leadership has been woefully lost to the wind.