Press Statement Regarding Cashman/Patriot Renewables LLC Proposed Wind Farm
May 23, 2006
CONTACT:
Mark Rasmussen, Executive Director/Baykeeper
The Coalition for Buzzards Bay; 508-981-9342
NEW BEDFORD, MA—The Coalition for Buzzards Bay today commented on the recent announcement by Jay Cashman, Inc./Patriot Renewables LLC about their proposal to construct a 90-120 turbine wind farm in lower Buzzards Bay. The Coalition for Buzzards Bay is a nonprofit environmental advocacy organization dedicated to the protection,
restoration and sustainable use and enjoyment of Buzzards Bay and its watershed. The Coalition is supported by
4,700 members and works to protect the Bay for all through education, conservation, research and advocacy.
Mark Rasmussen, Executive Director of The Coalition summarized the organization’s initial reaction to the plan by commenting, “I think everyone who tries to envision 90-120 wind turbines in one of the busiest and most sensitive parts of the Bay will share the same initial reaction to this proposal: Jay Cashman isn’t asking to build a wind farm in Buzzards Bay, he’s asking for Buzzards Bay.”
Based on the limited information available, the Cashman proposal for Buzzards Bay appears to create large conflicts with busy navigation routes, the safe transport of oil and other hazardous cargo through the Bay, nearshore fishing and recreational uses, and endangered species nesting areas.
The Coalition for Buzzards Bay supports the responsible development of clean wind energy in the region in order to reduce the threats associated with the transport of 2 billion gallons of oil annually through the Bay, as well as address the threat of climate change to the Bay environment. The Bay is still recovering from the April 2003 Bouchard 120 Oil Spill - the 2nd largest spill in the Bay’s history.
Based on careful review of the draft Environmental Impact Report for the Cape Wind proposal in Nantucket Sound, the organization offered its qualified endorsement for that project in January 2005. Dramatic differences exist between the Nantucket Sound proposal and Cashman’s proposed Buzzards Bay projects due in large part to Buzzards Bay’s narrow geography, environmental sensitivity and the density of existing commercial and recreational uses.
Rasmussen continued,“We are open to participating in a serious debate about where and how offshore wind generation might work in the waters of Buzzards Bay. The problem with the Cashman proposal is that it isn’t serious. We question how any developer could propose a wind farm of that scale in an area of so many potential environmental and use conflicts with so little background study. This is not a productive way to begin this important public debate.” A similarly rash wind proposal was made in 2002 by Winergy LLC to be sited off the coast of Falmouth and has since been abandoned.
The Coalition for Buzzards Bay intends to rigorously monitor the Cashman proposal in order to defend the Bay from harmful development.
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The Coalition for Buzzards Bay is a private, non-profit membership organization dedicated to the protection, restoration, and sustainable use of Buzzards Bay and its watershed. The organization works to improve the health of the Bay ecosystem for all through education, conservation, research and advocacy and is supported by more than 4,700 members.
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