Quote from Cape Wind President Jim Gordon reacting to the news that the entire Massachusetts Congressional Delegation has submitted a letter asking the Department of Energy to approve Cape Wind's Loan Guarantee as soon as possible:

"I am grateful to Congressman Bill Keating and to the entire Massachusetts Congressional Delegation for their leadership and vision in pursuit of a cleaner and more prosperous energy future for Massachusetts and for helping launch the U.S. offshore wind industry". -- Jim Gordon

Click here to read Congressman Bill Keating's press release

Click here to read the MA Congressional Delegation letter to the Department of Energy

On August 23, Jim Gordon announced that Cape Wind is purchasing East Marine in Falmouth at a press conference at the Falmouth Chamber of Commerce.  The marina will be used as Cape Wind's Cape Cod operations headquarters. Fifty people will be permanently employed at the Falmouth base of operations.

See these streamed videos of the speakers at this event including Cape Wind President Jim Gordon, Congressman Bill Keating, Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Rick Sullivan, Falmouth Board of Selectmen Chairman Kevin Murphy, President of the Falmouth Chamber of Commerce Jay Zavala, and Massachusetts Maritime Academy President Admiral Richard Gurnon.

FALMOUTH, MA – Cape Wind announced today that it will base its operations headquarters on Falmouth Harbor on Cape Cod, creating 50 new permanent jobs.

(to read the rest of the press release click on the headline above)

To view and download pictures of East Marine click on this link, photos courtesy of Cape Wind for news media use.

Statement by Cape Wind Communications Director Mark Rodgers on the FAA Determination of No Hazard, August 15, 2012:

 

After years of careful aeronautical review of Cape Wind, we are pleased once again to receive FAA approval in the form of this 'Determination of No Hazard'.

 

This is the fourth 'Determination of No Hazard' Cape Wind has received from the FAA since the agency began its review of the project in 2002. FAA's review and approvals of Cape Wind span back to the Bush Administration.

 

Today's FAA Determination of No Hazard states: "Therefore the FAA concludes that the project, if constructed as proposed, poses no hazard to air navigation."

 

Previously, the FAA issued a Public Notice on February 10, 2012 that stated Cape Wind does not exceed obstruction standards and the FAA announced a public comment period which concluded on March 17, 2012. During that comment period, Cape and Islands State Senator Dan Wolf, who is also Founder and CEO of Cape Air which is the largest commercial user of airspace over Nantucket Sound submitted a letter to the FAA that said, "...I wish to state for the record that I agree with the FAA findings that the Cape Wind project proposed for Horseshoe Shoal will have no adverse impact on air transportation and navigation in the region."

 

Cape Wind is now closer to creating the public benefits of cleaner air, greater energy independence and new jobs. Cape Wind will jump start America's offshore wind industry and make Massachusetts a global leader in offshore wind.

 

Cape Wind is the first and only U.S. offshore wind farm to have received all required Federal and State approvals, a Commercial Lease, and an approved Construction and Operations Plan.  Now having sold more than three quarters of its power in long term Power Purchase Agreements with Massachusetts electric utilities, Cape Wind has commenced its project financing stage.

 

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Important documents relating to the ten-year FAA review of Cape Wind:

Link to Cape Wind Statement on Congressional Inquiry

Link to 2003 Bush Administration FAA Determination of No Hazard issued to Cape Wind

Link to 2005 Bush Administration FAA Affirmation of Determination of No Hazard to Cape Wind

Link to 2012 letter from Cape Air President and Cape & Islands State Senator Dan Wolf to the FAA on air navigation safety and Cape Wind

Link to first 2005 Lobbying Disclosure Form establishing the opposition group lobbied the FAA against Cape Wind

Link to second 2005 Lobbying DIscosure Form establishing the opposition group lobbied the FAA against Cape Wind

Link to 2006 Lobbying Disclosure Form establishing Bill Koch was using lobbyists for his energy company Oxbow to lobby the FAA against Cape Wind

Cape Wind Statement on FAA Investigation by Communications Director Mark Rodgers

July 17, 2012

Cape Wind has been closely reviewed and considered for 10 years by Republican and Democratic administrations, which have both come to the same conclusion: Cape Wind will provide substantial benefits to the nation by jumpstarting the clean energy future, creating hundreds of jobs, reducing air pollution and increasing energy independence.

On air navigation safety, the FAA has been carefully reviewing Cape Wind for 10 years and has approved it three times, twice during the Bush administration and once under the current administration, despite pressure from the a well funded opposition group. We are hopeful that the extensive, ongoing FAA review will reach the same conclusion: Cape Wind will not be hazardous to air navigation – just as Europe’s forty offshore wind farms built over the past twenty years have not posed any problems for safe air navigation there.

During the Bush years, the opposition group falsely claimed the Bush Administration was pressuring agencies to approve Cape Wind and they demanded and obtained an investigation which found the review was appropriate.  Now they make the same false claim, only this time about the current administration.  There are no merits to these claims and they should be summarily dismissed.

The only politics applied to this important clean energy project have been on the part of project opponents.