Article on Nantucket wind farm mentions Kerry & Kennedy

[rox63]

And sort of pegs Kerry as being for it, although they admit that he hasn't officially taken a position on this specific project. They say that Kennedy and Kerry are split in their positions on offshore wind-power projects.

http://www.ack.net/Windfarm030906.html

[TayTay]

1. I don't think he's for it.

Ahm, not to be cute or anything, I just don't think he's against it. (It's a local matter.)

[MH1]

2. Kerry's position

From the article:

Massachusetts lawmakers have split on Young’s proposal, with Sen. Ted Kennedy, a staunch opponent of the wind farm, supporting the amendment, and Sen. John Kerry voicing his opposition. Although Kerry has yet to take a position on the wind farm itself, he said Young’s amendment was “an insult to Americans who care about good government.”


“I oppose this back-door amendment to the Coast Guard authorization bill which – if passed – will derail offshore wind projects across the nation,” Kerry said late last month. “At a time of increasing energy demand and sky-high costs, I am very concerned about any legislation that limits our options in pursuing renewable energy.”

Young's proposal = a backdoor amendment to the Coast Guard funding bill, which he slipped into the conference report. In other words, the amendment was voted on by neither the House nor the Senate as an amendment; but usually a conference report is expected to sail through because both houses are tired of looking at the durn thing by then. This amendment would effectively kill the Nantucket wind farm project because it stipulates a huge distance (2 miles I think) that turbines would have to be sited from shipping or ferry lanes. (2 miles? Give me a freakin' break.) Not only would it kill the Nantucket project, but make almost any other offshore wind project impossible.

Kerry is very pro alternative energy and pro good government and it's no wonder he's not liking Young's amendment one bit.

So anyway, Kerry has not taken any position on the specific project to be sited at Nantucket Sound, but he opposes this amendment because it a) was backdoored and b) would block almost any offshore wind project.

Interestingly enough, you know that "Ethics and Lobbying Reform" bill the Senate is working on? I was reading that thing today and it is actually quite interesting. The first or second provision is to tighten up the rules on inserting new stuff into a bill in conference. I want to say "block" but alas I know better. It will still happen even if that provision miraculously remains in this "reform" bill after the republicans get done deforming it. But, it should be a little harder for the Don Young's to succeed at their weasely tricks.