And, boy, do the press bend over backwards to be fair make Ted Kennedy not look like an anti-environmentalist (from the AP)
Key lawmakers have agreed to drop the idea of giving Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney veto power over a proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm, adopting a compromise that could boost the project's prospects.
The new bill, breaking weeks of stalemate on Capitol Hill, also ensures the Coast Guard a primary role in deciding the fate of the offshore wind farm — a group of 130 turbines that would produce electricity.
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., a leading project opponent, helped forge the compromise along with several other House and Senate members.
No, he is THE leading opponent, along with the Kennedy clan, including ultra environmentalist Robert Kennedy, Jr. Andrew Miga, the story writer, goes to great lengths in his Ted protection
"It's a significant victory in our effort to deal with the legitimate safety concerns of the project, and I'm grateful to my colleagues for working with us to achieve this result," Kennedy said Wednesday.
Kennedy is an avid sailor who owns an oceanfront home at his family's Hyannis Port, Mass., compound. He has denied allegations by some environmental groups that he opposes the wind farm because it would spoil the view from his coastal home.
He has branded the project a government handout to a developer who stands to gain from huge tax breaks.
Earlier this year, Kennedy and others quietly inserted language in the $8.7 billion Coast Guard spending bill to give Romney, or his successor, veto power over the project.
Opponents have raised concerns about the environmental and economic impact to Cape Cod, particularly its tourist and fishing industries. They say the project's turbines could pose navigation and radar hazards.
But Cape Wind officials contend project is a clean, safe way of providing renewable energy. They say the wind farm would enhance energy independence while providing lower energy costs, a healthier environment and new jobs.
The Cape Wind Project has already been given a clean bill of environment by the Army Corps Of Engineers, as well as the Coast Guard. There is little concern over shipping passage and environmental problems, such as bird deaths. It will provide nice, clean, safe energy. The People of Mass back it. Kennedy wouldn't be able to see it from his compound. But, it is where they sail. Why is Ted being hypocritical?
