I think when the environmentalist write their history books, President Obama's pick for Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, will be written as the greenest Secretary of Interior the nation has ever had. (Wonder if its his Colorado roots? :D
Before we get into the wonderful news. Let me first explain what the Department of the Interior, an under-appreciated federal agency, is responsible for.
The Department of the Interior was establish by Congress in 1849 as the community organizers, so to speak, of the Nation.
Most people would think of the Interior as bring responsible for just our natural resources, however, according to their website
The Interior Department had a wide range of responsibilities entrusted to it: the construction of the national capital's water system, the colonization of freed slaves in Haiti, exploration of western wilderness, oversight of the District of Columbia jail, regulation of territorial governments, management of hospitals and universities, management of public parks,and the basic responsibilities for Indians, public lands, patents, and pensions.
Now on the fantastic news!
We Goin' Green bitches Baby!!!
Secretary Salazar has approved the long sought wind farm project in Massachusetts (Yes, Massachusetts voters, a Democrat did that. Try to remember that in 2012. Sheesh!)
The United States is leading a clean energy revolution that is reshaping our future. Cape Wind is an opening of a new chapter in that future, and we are all part of that history. Cape Wind will be the nation's first offshore wind farm, supplying clean power to homes and businesses in Massachusetts, plus creating good jobs here in America. This will be the first of many projects up and down the Atlantic coast.
Governor Deval Patrick couldn't be more elated that after a nine year battle, this is coming to fruition on his watch.
America needs offshore wind power and with this project, Massachusetts will lead the nation.
(emphasis are the Diarist)
This is a HUGE step for the Obama administration, and a giant leap for America's future!
Imagine the day when the words "offshore drilling" will be replaced with "offshore winding" (or something like that :D).
Senator Kerry Says:
I believe the future of wind power in the Massachusetts and the United States will be stronger knowing that the process was exhaustive, and that it was allowed to work and wind its way through the vetting at all levels with public input. This is jobs and clean energy for Massachusetts.
An excerpt from an article in The Boston Globe:
With the federal government's approval yesterday of the Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts stands at the nexus of the nation's growing offshore wind power industry, state and business officials said. And that means jobs: engineering jobs, construction jobs, technical service jobs and more.
"It spans the spectrum from blue collar to white collar. It's boatmen taking boats out there; it's blue collar workers turning the wrenches," said Roger Freeman, coordinator of the energy and environment working group at the advocacy group Progressive Business Leaders Network, which has supported Cape Wind.
...
"It means that all of the equipment, the material, for wind turbines will flow through the state, and certainly the opportunity for suppliers within the state to get involved," explained Nick d'Arbeloff, founding president and co-chair of the New England Clean Energy Council.
At Local 103 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, business manager Michael Monahan said Cape Wind is "going to put our members to work."
No word from the naked guy in a pick up truck Senator Scott Brown.
According to The Green Blog this one offshore wind farm will create
1,000 construction jobs and produce energy equivalent to that of a medium-sized coal-fired power plant [and] would reduce carbon emissions by the equivalent of 175,000 cars.
One of the delays in Salazar's decision was due to a real concern by two Native American tribes that the turbines would disturb their "spiritual sun greetings" artifacts and burials that are at the ocean's floor.
Salazar evidently order some modifications to the original plans, and today we have another historical moment in America!
Or as The Atlantic put it:
Today's announcement signals which side of the debate the Obama administration finds most important, with an aggressive push on renewable energy trumping all else.