Cape Wind visionary James Gordon

by Rita Watson

Although seeing windmills five miles off-shore will be a strain for the naked eye, sculptures in motion are poised to dot the seascape of Nantucket creating new energy sources.

Cape Wind, slated to become the first offshore wind farm in the United States, achieved a stunning victory recently by overcoming all regulatory  barriers to the project in Massachusetts.

Those in favor of this effort applaud when they hear the name of visionary James Gordon, chief executive for Cape Wind. We talked with him about the victory and the needs and the challenges.  Here is a Q and A.

Q.How did you become so interested in renewable energy?

A. We face so many urgent challenges in this country because of our dependence on oil. A few years back,  when I saw people were lined up for gas, I  knew this was going to  be a growing issue and someone had to begin making plans for a certain amount of energy independence.

Nysted,Denmark wind farm

Q. You have just achieved a stunning regulatory, what is most meaningful about the news that you can go forward?

A. Obviously I believe in renewable energy, but I am very concerned about the public health issues. The Lancet Medical Journal says that climate change is the number one global health issue that we are facing.  And here in the Cape area we have all seen the reports from the National Heart and Lung Association that say we are one of the most heavily polluted areas in the East.

Q.  You did not receive a resounding endorsement from environmental groups from the start. Why?

A.  The legitimate environmental organizations said: “We think this project has potential and seems like a good idea.  But we won’t take a position until we have an opportunity to review the documents.  We have to wait.” And they did wait.  They analyzed data, as there were numerous environmental reports, and what they saw was that this project would effectively reduce pollutants and green house gas emissions.

Q.  There were a number of polls conducted, how did these turn out?

A.  The latest polls show that 86 percent of the people in this area want this project. And our support is not just in Massachusetts. There is enormous support in Rhode Island.  It is gratifying to know that the years we spent educating folks and attending public hearings were important. I will tell you something, people helped support the offshore wind project because they saw that the Department of the Interior released rules for such a project and we were following those rules.   (Pictured here is former Sen. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, currently running for Governor.)

Q. Given what we know about the need for change, how do you explain the fact that this project was delayed seven years because of the NIMBYs (not in my back yard)?

A. In this area alone, what I tried to point out was this:  without Cape Wind and more projects like it, change will be accelerate - changes for which we will have no control. Low laying coastal communities are in danger by the increase in storms and global warming damaging our coastlines. Before the ink about about Cape Wind in the news, a small but powerful group with competing business interests mobilized and created an organization to defeat our project.

Even before any information was laid out, they came out swinging. Even before the 17 Federal and state agencies had an opportunity ask us for reams of documentation, they sent out their propaganda and set up a fear mongering campaign.  The book Cape Wind documents this and names names. Some of these NIMBY’s have a sense of entitlement and feel that this project will compromise their quality of life. Also some consider the public waters to be their own private property.

As such they raised $25,000 million to defeat this project.  One of the leaders was a politician whose name is synonymous with Hyannis and the other was a guy who owns one of the largest privately-owned coal and petroleum operations in the country.

Q. What do you love most about the project?

A. I love knowing that we are serving the people of this state today and making it a healthier place for our children to live here tomorrow. And I love knowing that we are creating the largest kinetic art installation in the world right now that will also create clean, affordable, and renewable energy.
Photos courtesy of  CapeWind

You may wish to read Our Love Affair with Green with quotes from  Professor Adil Najam, climate change scientist with the IPCC that shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore; Jim Gordon;  Greg Chafee of Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP, an international law firm;  Architect Roger Manny, Jacobs Global Buildings;  and Bruce Hrovat, executive vice president of Global Transaction Services at Citizens Financial Group.

Copyright 2009 Rita Watson