STAFF WRITER
U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy is backing a proposal that would allow governors to reject offshore wind projects in their states.

Developers from Cape Wind Associates hope to build 130 wind turbines on a 24-mile-long area of Nantucket Sound. The controversial project has triggered state and federal review, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers serving as the lead regulatory agency.

Although the project would be constructed in federal waters roughly six miles south of Cape Cod, states would have a say because the transmission line from the turbines would need to come ashore through state waters to hook up to the regional electric grid.

Kennedy aide Stephanie Cutter said Kennedy supports the bill making the rounds on Capitol Hill.

"The senator is in favor of governors signing off on the siting of offshore wind farms," Cutter said.

The legislation also calls for land-based wind projects to receive approval from "local governing bodies," such as town and city councils or selectmen, but not the governor, she said.

The legislation does not pertain to other potential sources of offshore energy, such as oil drilling, and is not aimed at Cape Wind Associates' proposal to build 130 turbines on Horseshoe Shoal, Cutter said.

Kennedy is "not an opponent of the project, he's an opponent of the process," Cutter said. She could not provide the specific language of the proposal, saying "nothing is a done deal" at this point.

Cape Wind maintains that its turbines would offset 1 million tons of carbon dioxide from fossil fuel-burning plants, reduce dependence on foreign oil and create hundreds of jobs.

The turbines would supply nearly 74 percent of the Cape and islands' electricity, according to NStar.

Romney has said he supports renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, which do not pollute and are infinite in supply, but he opposes the site of the Cape Wind project.

Romney "would certainly be interested in seeing more details" about the legislation, said spokeswoman Katie Ford.

Romney has resisted entreaties from state Attorney General Thomas Reilly and U.S. Rep. William Delahunt for a moratorium on offshore wind power until stricter federal controls are in place.

"But with the nation facing energy shortages, clean air and greenhouse gas issues and continued dependence on foreign energy sources, it doesn't seem the right time to place new barriers in the way of clean, renewable energy sources," Duffy said.

Seth Kaplan, a senior attorney with the Conservation Law Foundation, said he also wanted to see how the proposal was written.

Kaplan, whose organization believes the current permitting procedure for offshore wind projects is sufficiently rigorous, questioned the logic of singling out offshore wind power.

Noting that a liquid natural gas facility has been proposed for the port of Fall River, he asked: "Would you give a governor authority over one particular kind of energy project but not over an LNG terminal or, God forbid, an oil-drilling rig? It would be bizarre to give a governor authority over one kind of energy project."

Back in March, Kennedy said he could not support the Cape Wind project without more rigorous federal controls in place.

"Without a national policy, these projects can lead to serious economic and environmental consequences for local communities," Kennedy told the Times.

Kennedy, whose summer house in Hyannisport overlooks the section of Nantucket Sound where the turbines would be built, has denied he is motivated by the visual impact of the project.

His nephew, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, is an outspoken critic of the Cape Wind proposal.

(Published: July 25, 2003)