Nantucket Sound is no arctic refuge
By RACHEL PACHTER
November 16, 2009 2:15 AM

I applaud Barry Thompson of Hyannis for making one of the more honest arguments against the wind farm we have seen throughout the Cape Wind debate ("Preserving nature is essential duty," My View, Nov. 3). He wants to preserve Nantucket Sound as is.

Mr. Thompson uses the example of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to advocate for the need to preserve Nantucket Sound. His argument is that because so many more people use Nantucket Sound, it's more appreciated than (or at least as valued as) ANWR. Therefore it deserves the same protection.

Nantucket Sound and ANWR have one very important thing in common — they both hold a significant resource for energy generation. One is clean, renewable wind and the other is unsustainable oil production and entails significant risks throughout its "life cycle" — meaning the drilling, transporting, refining and burning all pose significant risks in addition to the deleterious effects of climate change and air emissions.

Here's one thing that Nantucket Sound and ANWR do not have in common — they do not support anywhere near the same population levels. Nantucket Sound is a working body of water. The shores of the Cape and Islands are lined with homes, schools and businesses using electricity. People commute over the Sound daily to provide services such as construction, plumbing and electric work for the homes on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Goods are shipped to the islands through the Sound.

As one who has spent time working in and flying over ANWR doing scientific research, I can tell you that comparatively very little electricity is being used in that region of our country. In fact, all I saw from above was endless tundra, occasional grizzly bears, caribou, glacial rivers, grayling, lots and lots of mosquitoes and a few temporary camps.

One other sight was visible from above: tire tracks, created by trucks and ATVs that were driven over the tundra years — and in some cases decades — earlier, as visible as if they had been created yesterday.

My point is that it's not an apples-to-apples comparison to say that building a wind farm in Nantucket Sound is the same as drilling in ANWR. Putting aside the issue of what is or isn't pristine, the debate over drilling in ANWR is about disturbing the arctic environment to provide a temporary solution and about utilizing a resource already known to contribute considerably to the numerous environmental problems we are facing.

In contrast, seeding the offshore wind industry in Nantucket Sound is a step forward toward a long-term solution to a significant national security, energy and environmental problem; it's a step that can be taken locally and will bring numerous local benefits.

Voluminous documentation, as well as projects already operating in Europe, have shown that offshore wind farms are environmentally friendly and safe and can produce reliable, clean electricity.

I would like to offer an alternative and similarly honest approach to the one taken by Mr. Thompson. How about we promote the use of our clean and renewable energy resource? Be proud to use Nantucket Sound to lead our country down the path of the renewable energy future.

Mr. Thompson stated that "environmental protection is about more than the development of clean energy." World-renowned environmentalist Bill McKibben once said in reference to Cape Wind, "Big truths have to trump small truths" — the big truths being climate change and significant sea-level rise.

Environmental protection really is about energy use; otherwise it would not be the leading issue for every major environmental organization supporting the Cape Wind project, including the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the World Wildlife Fund, Clean Water Action and Greenpeace.

The Cape Wind project offers an opportunity to begin change here at home; to provide jobs for future generations and allow them to gain skills and knowledge infinitely valuable to their preservation; to combat climate change through clean energy production; and to give Massachusetts and the region an opportunity to lead the way in preserving the planet for future generations.

Rachel Pachter of Boston and Wellfleet is assistant project manager on the Cape Wind project.