Today, President-Elect Obama visited a wind
turbine component manufacturer in Bedford Heights, Ohio (near
Cleveland) -- this is big news for the Great Lakes region! http://www.awea.org/newsroom/releases/Obama_Visits_Wind_Manufacturer_16Jan09.html
And on the
east coast, the Minerals Management Service has released the final EIS
for Cape Wind. Note:
The link below to the EIS takes a minute or so to open -- it's an
800-page document. Also, below is an AWEA (American Wind Energy
Association) statement on the EIS.
http://www.mms.gov/offshore/AlternativeEnergy/PDFs/FEIS/Cape%20Wind%20Energy%20Project%20FEIS.pdf
-------- Original Message --------
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT:
January
16, 2009 Julie Clendenin, (202) 384-3090; jclendenin@awea.org
Laurie
Jodziewicz, ljodziewicz@awea.org
AWEA
STATEMENT ON FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT FOR CAPE WIND
OFFSHORE WIND PROJECT
AWEA
Welcomes Today’s Report, Looks Forward
to
Timely Development of Key Offshore Wind Project
WASHINGTON,
D.C. – The American Wind Energy
Association welcomes
the release today of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the
Cape Wind
Energy Project (Cape
Wind) in Nantucket
Sound.
“We strongly support the development of
offshore wind energy
projects, and Cape
Wind has the
potential to
be the first approved project in federal waters,” said AWEA CEO Denise
Bode. “The Minerals Management Service (MMS) took a critical step
today in bringing offshore wind energy to the US.
Projects such as Cape Wind
will help establish the offshore wind energy market and allow the US
to develop
this clean, reliable source of renewable energy.”
In a number of Eastern states, the
capability
to build large-scale wind
energy projects on land is limited, and there is a need to look
offshore to
meet renewable energy goals. Accelerating the development of wind
energy,
both on land and in the water, is critically important to advance
several major
public policy goals, including new clean technology jobs, greater
energy
independence, improved air and environmental quality, reduced
greenhouse gas emissions,
greater energy source diversity and greater long-term energy price
stability.
Cape
Wind has been under state
and federal government review for seven years, and each successive
report has found
no major environmental impacts associated with the proposed project.
Today’s Final Environment Impact Statement is another step in this
long process. AWEA applauds MMS for the release of this latest report
and
hopes to see the timely development of this important offshore wind
energy project.
#
About
the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA):
AWEA is the national
trade
association of America’s wind industry, with more than 1,800 member
companies, including global leaders in wind power and energy
development, wind
turbine manufacturing, component and service suppliers, and the world’s
largest wind power trade show. AWEA is the voice of wind energy in the
U.S.,
promoting renewable energy to power a cleaner, stronger America.
More information on wind
energy is available at the AWEA Web site: www.awea.org
Laurie
Jodziewicz
American
Wind Energy
Association
(202)
383-2516
ljodziewicz@awea.org
Check out
AWEA's Siting Handbook: www.awea.org/sitinghandbook