New review delays Cape Cod wind farm

A new environmental review for a Cape Cod wind farm in Massachusetts will delay a final decision on the project about a year.

The environmental review will further delay the 5-year decision making process over the nation's first proposed offshore wind farm, the Boston Globe reported Friday.

The Energy Policy Act, passed earlier this year, transferred lead federal authority for all offshore wind projects from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to the U.S. Mineral Management Service.

First proposed in 2000, Cape Wind, which could place 130 turbines in Nantucket Sound, was expected to generate enough pollution-free electricity to meet three-quarters of the electricity needs of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.

However, opponents say the turbines would detract from the ocean's beauty and is an example of the lack of thoughtful federal oversight on offshore projects, the Globe said.

Copyright 2005 by United Press International