Stevens backs Kennedy on wind farm amendment

Allen Baker

For Petroleum News

Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, has proposed an amendment to the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act to give Massachusetts an effective veto over a controversial offshore wind farm in federal waters off the northeastern state.

In a speech on the Senate floor May 9, Stevens said that his decision to wade into the issue far from Alaska’s shores was “based upon my long-held belief that states should have the final say on projects which will directly impact their land, resources, and their constituents.” Allowing federal developments without state input would set a powerful precedent for federal waters off his own state, he said.

For example, Stevens said, federal waters in Cook Inlet south of Kenai encompass about 2.5 million acres that could be used for similar projects, or other federal purposes, without Alaska’s concurrence. Like the Massachusetts site, the federal waters in Cook Inlet are almost entirely enclosed by state waters.

“The debate over this project is similar to the fights that those of us in Alaska have been engaged in for decades. Our state lands are surrounded by federal lands, our waters are surrounded by federal waters, and we often do not have any say in decisions regarding the development of our resources or the projects which will be located in our state,” Stevens said.

The proposed wind farm site is in Nantucket Sound. As currently planned, it would involve 130 huge wind turbines spread over an area of 24 square miles, or about 15,000 acres. The turbines would be 417 feet tall, compared with the 296-foot height of the ConocoPhillips building in Anchorage, Alaska’s tallest building.

While the wind farm would be just a few miles from Massachusetts, Stevens noted that other states have blocked developments much further from their shores.

“Just think, California blocked oil platforms; Oregon and Washington blocked them even before they were built. We now have a dispute before the Congress over a potential development of gas resources 170 miles off the State of Florida.”

Stevens said he supported the idea of wind farms, but preferred to have such farms located further offshore, where they wouldn’t interfere with navigation and fishing.