Windstorm : Why Are 'Environmentalists' Opposing Windmills in Nantucket Sound? [Give me a break]

20/20 ^ | July 25, 2003 | John Stossel

[ZGuy]

It's windy enough on Massachusetts' Nantucket Sound — the waters between Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard — that it makes the Sound an ideal idea place for windmills that generate electricity.

Wind farms are popular in Europe and California, and environmentalists like them because they're a relatively clean way to produce electricity. It's a reason Jim Gordon proposes to install 130 wind turbines 6 ½ miles off the coast of Cape Cod.

But there's a problem.

Although the Natural Resources Defense Council, and its attorney, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., support wind power (Kennedy says he's "strongly in favor of wind-energy production at sea,") Kennedy doesn't want a wind farm on Nantucket Sound, where his family might see it from their elegant compound in Hyannis Port.

Veteran newsman Walter Cronkite doesn't want Gordon's wind farm here either. Cronkite likes to sail on Nantucket Sound. He did a commercial for a group that's fighting the wind farm. In it, he says, "Our natural treasures should be off limits to industrialization and Nantucket Sound is one of those treasures."

His ad was paid for by the Alliance to Protect the Sound, which also supports wind power, but not on Nantucket Sound

The group's president, Isaac Rosen, complains that the developers will "make a fortune," and says, "I think building turbines, building machinery in an area where people go to get away from industry, to get away from machinery is wrong."

Is a wind farm is going to wreck that?

"I think building turbines, building machinery in an area where people go to get away from industry, to get away from machinery is wrong," Rosen said.

Gordon disagrees. He says his opponents "just don't want to live with a half-inch view off the horizon of wind turbines."

Rosen says Gordon and the developers are "trying to say, again, that it's just a bunch of rich people who are concerned with their views."

Don't they have a point?

Rosen said, "I think, you know, rich people and poor people have a right to our public resources."

At the marina, some people agreed, a wind farm would mar their public resources.

"I don't like it because I think it just ruins the natural beauty of the water," said one yacht owner.

Really? The "natural beauty" includes yachts like his, ferries, jet skis, and speedboat races. But a wind farm would ruin it?

"That's the 'Not In My Back Yard' syndrome again," one man told us.

Plenty of people like the idea of windmills. "Actually they look kind of cool!" one man said.

I agree. They look almost like sculpture. In Denmark they advertise them as a tourist attraction. But the opponents say windmills would do all kinds of terrible things.

Cronkite says in his commercial against the wind farm, "These massive wind turbines could disrupt the natural habitat for wildlife in the Sound and endanger boats."

Endanger boats? Makes me wonder how they miss ramming each other now. The windmills would hardly be a blockade. They'll be six to nine football fields apart from each other.

As ferry boat captain Richard Elrick puts it, "The turbines are gonna be placed so far apart that if any boater who's out there can't safely navigate around them, he ought not be out there sailing."

Walter Cronkite wouldn't do a TV interview, but on the phone told me, "Why shouldn't I be concerned? Who else will be concerned about my backyard?"

Robert Kennedy Jr. wouldn't do an interview either.

Isn't it hypocritical for Kennedy to preach conservation, and then object to an environmentally conscientious wind farm off his house?

Rosen said he doesn't see any hypocrisy. "I think it's perfectly consistent with mainstream environmentalism to say that our public resources are not up for grabs."

He said his group supported wind turbines on land.

So would Rosen's group support wind farms next to the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port?

"No, I guess what we're saying is that certain areas will be off limits to development," Rosen said.

Right, especially areas where rich environmentalists like to spend the summer.

Give me a break.

[ZGuy]

Don't not watch John's Give Me A Break tonight just because you read it here first. We want to keep his ratings up!

[1Old Pro]

This flak is simply sweet. It's another in the thousands of examples of elitist liberal hypocrisy.

[DB]

Turn off their power.

[Lee Heggy]

Another reason they don't want windmills is that the residents are attracted to movement like moths to a porch light. Thousands could be maimed or worse.

[harpseal]

,I>Cronkite says in his commercial against the wind farm, "These massive wind turbines could disrupt the natural habitat for wildlife in the Sound and endanger boats."Considering teh way Cronkite handles his boat it is a miracle he does not consider Nantucket and Marta's Vineyard a hzard to his boat.

As for the record of the Kennedys with water what can I say that has not already been said? If Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket sound are national treasures why aren't they national parks? Why are teh Kennedy compound and Mr. Cronkites home not available to teh public so they can enjoy the national treasure?

[ken5050]

Kennedy's organization, Riverkeepers, or whatever, is engaged in a huge PR fear campaign to force the4 closing of Con Ed's Inidan Point nuclear plant...they';ve spent a fortune on ads trying to scare people that the plant's a dnager..also, Con Ed isn't being allowed to build the extra generating plants that NYC needs....soon, we're gonna have shortgages..real..not because of fiscal problem, like in Cal.

[biblewonk]

Oh cool a windmill post!!!!!

[Drango]

Someone should try and harness the hot air coming from Kennedy and Cronkite.

[DoughtyOne]

NIMBY, Not In My Back Yard...

The libs sure are great talkers. When it comes to contributing something toward reducing global worming, they faint.

[thegreatbeast]

What we want to do is get Stossel off of ABC and someplace else where the senile Barbara Walters can't demean his pieces by rolling her eyes and asking incredulous questions.

[EggsAckley]

Wind farms are popular in Europe and California

Last I heard, the windfarms in California are NOT producing a profit, and the investors are abandoning them. They were a fad tax-shelter years ago.

[biblewonk]

Ki>Last I heard, the windfarms in California are NOT producing a profit, and the investors are abandoning them. They were a fad tax-shelter years ago.

You need to get a new source of information. Most of the old antiques in California don't represent windpower for one thing.

[ClearCase_guy]

Rosen said he doesn't see any hypocrisy. "I think it's perfectly consistent with mainstream environmentalism to say that our public resources are not up for grabs."

He said his group supported wind turbines on land.

He added: "How about fly-over country? Nobody important lives there. We could use that land, right?"

[biblewonk]

Someone should try and harness the hot air coming from Kennedy and Cronkite.

The power grid could never handle the surge.

[ZGuy]

I believe the current acronym is :
BANANA - Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything
(A BANANA is beyond a NIMBY)

[newgeezer]

Thanks for the ping.

Some of us truly believe the rolling Iowa prairie is a "natural treasure," too. I guess that means we should be up in arms about the wind turbines popping up out there, similarly "ruining" our experience.

By the way, I'm taking the family past the Clear Lake wind farm Sunday, and we're spending a night in Storm Lake next week. Both should provide for more and better windmill photos. :-)

[Congressman Billybob]

Liberals are only liberals as long as they can keep the consequences of their policies away from their own homes and their own children. Now that this windfarm is proposed for the backyard of the rich liberals, they are exhibiting all the characteristics of those they decry elsewhere, when the cry of "Not in my backyard" goes up.

I love the smell of hypocrisy in the morning.

Congressman Billybob

Latest article, now up FR, "Sixteen Little Words."

[newgeezer]

The power grid could never handle the surge.

Maybe we could somehow put them in phase, making their output more constant and manageable.

[biblewonk]

By the way, I'm taking the family past the Clear Lake wind farm Sunday, and we're spending a night in Storm Lake next week. Both should provide for more and better windmill photos.

Lucky dog! I wonder how the latest windfarm proposal is going. 310 mw!

[1066AD]

NIMBY .. the same attitude that says it's OK to drill & produce oil and gas in (most of) the Gulf of Mexico but nowhere else.
NRDC sends those petitions re ANWR drilling, I return them saying I SUPPORT it - they include a reply paid envelope !

[alnitak]

You're right. But they are old old old...newer machines are much larger and much more efficient (up to 4.5MW!) American Wind Energy Association

[KarlInOhio]

I just love the idea of tweaking the Kennedys and friends with this.

(However, I would suggest using Hyannis Port to replace our live fire range at Vieques just to annoy the Kennedys)

[newgeezer]

Lucky dog!

I hope so. I'm beginning to wonder if it was wise to schedule a Black Hills vacation for the week prior to the Sturgis rally. Time will tell.

[HEY4QDEMS]

Last I heard, the windfarms in California are NOT producing a profit, and the investors are abandoning them

You are exactly right, operating cost for the windmills is equal to the revenues they produce, throw in the construction costs and you're screwed.

California was aware of this when they built theirs, to offset the expense they came up with a "Green Energy" program that would give consumers the option of paying a higher rate for their electricity knowing that it was coming from an environmentally friendly source.

In other words it gave liberal greenies an opportunity to put their money where their mouth is, problem is most "Greenies" are bums and parasites that don't have a pot to piss in so the program is a complete disaster.

[Kenny Bunk]

There are already windmills on the Channel Islands off Newport(Cuttyhunk, Naushawena (sp?) etc. What's wrong with putting them on the Nantucket side? By the way, they don't bother anyone.

Pantload Cronkhite could not sail his fat yacht, the "Wintje" across a pond without serious professional help. He is very proud of his Dutch ancestory. Good thing those folks were not opposed to windmills. Can't wait to acquaint this clymer with the sharp end of a real boat's bowsprit.

[blackdog]

The problem is that the Kennedy's and Cronkite along with their ilk think that they are our national treasures, not the environment.

[Beelzebubba]

My nomination.

[sheik yerbouty]

It will interfere with "The Swimmer's" view.

[Capriole]

So let's see. The liberal environmentalists don't want us to heat our homes with electricity made by wind power. And they don't want electricity made by nuclear power plants. And they don't want electricity made by burning fossil fuels. And they don't want to cut down trees to fuel fires. And they don't want shiploads of oil and natural gas brought in from overseas, because there might be spills. And they don't want us to limit our need for energy by limiting constant immigration to this country. I guess we are all supposed to freeze in the dark.

[ElectricStrawberry]

Cape Cod has among the highest electricity prices in the country....the problem with this "project" is that the Sandwich power plant already produces enough power for the area, so the energy generated off-shore will go into the power grid and sold off to other areas.

The kicker is that the power prices are not going to go down for Cape residents. All the NIMBY's are right for the wrong reason.

[oldironsides]

I guess this old wind bag would be an expert on the subject. No matter that the nature conservancy sold off some prime island land to rich people like David Letterman. The left elite want to be left alone.
I wonder if old wind bag "Crankite" uses oil lamps and a woodstove living on that Martha's Vineyard property?

[americanSoul]

the Alliance to Protect the Sound, which also supports wind power, but not on Nantucket Sound

This is leftist hypocrisy at it's worst. NIMBY, indeed.

All of the Kennedys are a vicious cancer embedded in the heart of America.

They should build a dirty nuclear facility right next door to their lair in Hyannisport, so that hopefully, eventually they'll all die off from radioactivity and will no longer be part of the gene pool.

[BluH2o]

"These massive wind turbines could disrupt the natural habitat for wildlife in the Sound and endanger boats."

Interesting he didn't say yachts ... but that would create the wrong impression. Fact is, and I've sailed Nantucket Sound and surrounding waters, there is a great deal of shoaling in the area where water depth prevents most boats from navigating. One would assume this is where the wind mill farms would be constructed.

[Chewbacca]

The company pushing for a public wind farm should instead push to sell them to private individuals to provide off the grid power to their homes. Excess power could then be sold to the power company which could sell it to the rich NIMBY folks at four times the current electrical price.

Allow people to install them on private property and keep the envirowacko's out of the equation.

[americanSoul]

(However, I would suggest using Hyannis Port to replace our live fire range at Vieques just to annoy the Kennedys)

Better yet, wait until the whole psychopathic savage spawn of Old Joe, the Gambino pal, gather in one spot and test out a MOAB.

[RippleFire]

bump

[dark_lord]

NRDC sends those petitions re ANWR drilling, I return them saying I SUPPORT it - they include a reply paid envelope !

For those with cats, or small dogs -- the paid reply envelopes from these jerkwater Leftist groups are a nice way to get rid of "droppings". Just make sure you wear gloves and use a distant mailbox, otherwise the post office might have a discussion with you.

[martin gibson]

So let's see. The liberal environmentalists don't want us to heat our homes with electricity made by wind power. And they don't want electricity made by nuclear power plants. And they don't want electricity made by burning fossil fuels. And they don't want to cut down trees to fuel fires. And they don't want shiploads of oil and natural gas brought in from overseas, because there might be spills. And they don't want us to limit our need for energy by limiting constant immigration to this country. I guess we are all supposed to freeze in the dark.

You are suppose to sit quietly in a attitude of supplication with your single 60 watt bulb (per household), your rice bowl and your bicycle.

[cwb]

"Not in my backyard" is also the same attitidue that helped lead to California's energy crisis. Liberals want to enjoy the fruits of labor that provides all that cheap energy...they just don't want those nasty plants anywhere in thier state. As a result, they attacked and closed down California's energy producers so they could import from neighboring states. Unfortunatley, when you become a dependant to someone elses product...and you've destoryed your own supply, you end up paying the piper...and sometimes, a lot more.

[Dems_R_Losers]

This reminds me of what a former colleague in the Reagan Administration used to say:

"My definition of an "environmentalist" is the guy that bought his cabin in the woods yesterday!"

[El Laton Caliente]

I just have to keep telling people those pre-paid postage envelops work just as well taped to a box of rocks.

The Brady center loves to get all that used gun range brass.

;^)

[pabianice]

Another reason to vomit at the Left...

[Age of Reason]

No, I guess what we're saying is that certain areas will be off limits to development," Rosen said.

Right, especially areas where rich environmentalists like to spend the summer.

The last line should read "rich pro-immigrationists".

Do not most of these same people view immigration as wonderful, yet they also want to protect the environment?

We can easily solve much of our energy and pollution problems by simply ceasing to flood the country with immigrants.

Absent immigration, America's population growth would stabilize.

And with fewer people, less would be the polution and less the need for more energy.

And fewer the environmental problems.

And with more natural beauty to go around, the more available nature's wonders would be to the average American.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

ping

[Age of Reason]

And they don't want us to limit our need for energy by limiting constant immigration to this country.

That's most of the problem right there.

Without the huge influx of immigrants, America's population growth would stabilize--and so would increases in polution and the demand for more energy.

[NEPA]

There's a wind farm being built near me. The locals are against it because the electricity is for Philadelphia, over 100 miles away.

[Prof Engineer]

My nomination.

I second the nomination. All in favor say Aye.

[Jack Black]

I would like Bush, as a final executive order, to make NY City's central park a National Monument and Wilderness Area. This would follow up what Clinton did with an area the size of Rhode Island in his last month. It has never been voted on by anyone, but we Westerners now have to deal with more green-hatted Smokey Bears telling us not to drive here, go there, ride motorcycles, etc.

The rules for "Wilderness" would require all the roads to be pulled out of the park, and it returned to it's natural state. The reintroduction of wolves would need to be carefully considered. Persons wanting to use the park would need to apply many months (years?) in advance for one of the increasingly rare permits.

Not in OUR backyard the west side liberals would whine. This is absurd. Excactly. We'll trade you one city park for, say, giving us back the Mohave or Steens Mountains or Escalante National Monument.. Or maybe all three.

[Bilbo Baggins]

reducing global worming

LOL! Let's all support the reduction of global worming! They're eating away the Earth!