Representative James B. Eldridge (D-Acton)
Testimony in support of proposed Cape Wind wind energy project
Thursday, December 16, 2004

Today I wish to express my support for the proposed wind energy project being proposed in Nantucket Sound, Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

I support the Cape Wind project for three primary reasons.  First of all, as someone who is a strong environmentalist, I am concerned about how our country’s over reliance on using fossil fuels to provide energy to its citizens is destroying the quality of air we breathe, water we drink, and the protection from the sun we receive from the ozone layer around the earth. 

Second, I believe that in order to maintain the high standard of living that people in Massachusetts enjoy, including enjoying the use of the national treasurer of Cape Cod, our state needs to support finding alternative sources of energy to provide the necessary power to protect and preserve that quality of life.

Finally, as a legislator who represents a district that borders the city of Fitchburg, where another wind energy project is being proposed on land, I am disturbed at the notion that the location of a wind farm in the ocean more than four miles from residents is an adequate reason to stop an energy-generating project. 

If this project cannot be built, given its isolation from people and other living species, how can I in good conscience support any other energy project, wind or non-wind, which may have an alleged negative impact on a community that it may be located in?

Before I offer further comments, I want to point out that I although I live now and grew up in the town of Acton, one of the towns in my district, I am very familiar with the unique characteristics of the Cape, what a world-renowned jewel that it is, and how important it is to preserve.  My father grew up on the Cape, in East Dennis, and I still have many relatives who live there that my family and I have always gone to visit since I was young. 

I state this because I do believe that, contrary to some of the assertions of other public speakers, the proposed Cape Wind energy project in Nantucket Sound will not take away from the wonderful environmental, visual, aquatic, and geological values of Cape Cod. 

I have taken the time to read through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the proposed Cape Wind energy project, and I have also received feedback from my constituents on the project.  While it is clear that constituents in my district have different opinions of the project, I have been convinced from the information that I have read and the people I have spoken to that this project is one that is both good for the Cape and good for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  Thank you very much.