Alaskan senator [Stevens] denies making wind farm deal with Kennedy

boston.com ^ | May 10, 2006 | By Rick Klein, Globe Staff

[cloud8]

WASHINGTON -- Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska yesterday denied cutting a special deal with Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts to block a proposed wind farm off Cape Cod.

Stevens cast his opposition to the Cape Wind proposal as an issue of states' rights.

In a speech on the Senate floor, Stevens said Kennedy went along with his proposal to hand Governor Mitt Romney, a Cape Wind opponent, the power to veto the project. Environmental groups have accused Kennedy of reaching a backroom deal with Stevens to block Cape Wind, but Stevens said he wants all states to have the final word on energy projects off their coastlines. "He, as a matter of fact, is an old friend, and it's true that Senator Kennedy and the governor of Massachusetts support the provision," said Stevens, the Senate's senior Republican.

"It is not an issue based on friendship, nor any past favors or future favors," Stevens said. "It is strictly a provision based upon my long-held belief that states should have a final say on projects that impact their land, resources, and constituents."

[cloud8]

It may be a states' rights matter, but no one has asked us about it.

[theDentist]

Maybe they should change his name to 'Senator Sellout'.

[laconic]

Stevens and Kennedy, two natural gasbags.

[Prysson]

UNless he got Kennedy to agree to drill in Anwar then its a piss poor trade.

[angkor]

It might have been a deal for Bridge To Nowhere ("nowhere" except the Stevens family's 28 acres of vacation property).

[George Smiley]

Considering what a pompous windbag Kennedy is, it's perfectly logical to place a windmill farm offshore from the Kennedy compound.

[ClaireSolt]

I strongly feel Anwar is a state's rights issue. Feds should not even get into Mass.

[SampleMan]

The GOP should propose building wind farms, refineries, and nuclear plants in every liberal vacation/luxury living spot in the country from Malibu to Palm Beach. This alone could suck their resources and energy away from blocking national security issues.

[Condor51]

****It might have been a deal for Bridge To Nowhere.****

Nope, no deal there, not needed. The Bridge To Nowhere has been a done deal for months now thanks to some slight of hand shenanigans.

Basically what happened was

• The original earmark (pork) for that bridge was pulled out of that Highway Bill after the brouhaha that ensued when we the people found out about it.
  
• Then the exact same money was inserted into the first Emergency Spending Bill for Katrina Relief and worded for Alaska to use "at its discretion".
• The 'good Senator' Stevens unequivocally stated that of course said money would be used to build the bridge. Or in English - screw you peons, I'm building MY bridge and there ain't a 'darn' thing you can do about it.

  This D.C. slight of hand hanky-panky was reported ONCE on FoxNews, then it disappeared.

So as you see no deal is needed. That bridge will be built.

[betsyross1776]

Don't blame the Alaska senator, blame Kennedy who preaches energy conservation and says not on my plantation. Kennedy is a terrible senator with too much power in congress. He put his drunken , drug abuse kid in next to him for the vote. Can anybody say, send Kennedy back to the compound and retire him to a rocking chair, what does he care what we pay for energy ?He has his money in the Camman islands anyway, maybe he will move there.This way his bottle of scotch won't hurt me with his votes in congress.

[P-40]

"It is strictly a provision based upon my long-held belief that states should have a final say on projects that impact their land, resources, and constituents."

That's good they feel that way...because we would like to grow hemp for paper here in Texas. And educating all those illegals is certainly affecting our schools. Come to think of it, those illegals are not doing our hospitals one bit of good. And there just may be a wildlife refuge or two we'd like to drill for oil in. Lot of possibilities there.