Cape Wind Associates

An environmental group sued to block construction of a data-gathering tower in Nantucket Sound, described by the organization as the first step toward building a massive wind turbine complex in the waters between Cape Cod and Nantucket. The lawsuit filed by the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound charges that the Army Corps of Engineers improperly granted a permit to a private developer, Cape Wind Associates.

Environmental groups filed suit Friday in federal district court arguing that the nation's first offshore wind energy project violates the Endangered Species Act. The suit accuses the Obama administration of failing to protect endangered birds and whales in approving the Cape Wind project, a set of 130 wind turbine generators to be installed on Nantucket Sound off the Massachusetts coast. The suit is first legal challenge to the project since it was approved April 28 by federal officials, who lauded it as a model of renewable energy production.

Environmental groups filed suit Friday in federal district court arguing that the nation's first offshore wind energy project violates the Endangered Species Act. The suit accuses the Obama administration of failing to protect endangered birds and whales in approving the Cape Wind project, a set of 130 wind turbine generators to be installed on Nantucket Sound off the Massachusetts coast. The suit is first legal challenge to the project since it was approved April 28 by federal officials, who lauded it as a model of renewable energy production.

The Wampanoag Indians of southeastern Massachusetts welcomed the Pilgrims when they arrived on the Mayflower nearly 400 years ago. But now they're trying to stop another newcomer -- wind turbines. Citing customs and religious practices recorded since the earliest contact with Europeans, two local tribes have blocked, at least for now, America's first planned offshore wind farm and the Obama administration's efforts to promote renewable sources of energy. At issue is a private developer's plan to erect 130 wind turbine generators on a sandy shoal in the middle of Nantucket Sound, the scenic channel between Cape Cod and the resort islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.

The Wampanoag Indians of southeastern Massachusetts welcomed the Pilgrims when they arrived on the Mayflower nearly 400 years ago. But now they're trying to stop another newcomer -- wind turbines. Citing customs and religious practices recorded since the earliest contact with Europeans, two local tribes have blocked, at least for now, America's first planned offshore wind farm and the Obama administration's efforts to promote renewable sources of energy. At issue is a private developer's plan to erect 130 wind turbine generators on a sandy shoal in the middle of Nantucket Sound, the scenic channel between Cape Cod and the resort islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.

The sea surrounds this slender slip of land, and the wind blows strong and steady. For centuries, Nantucket has derived its livelihood from both resources, sending ships to distant ports and drawing visitors from around the world. Now the wind and the water off Nantucket are at the center of their own fierce storm.

The Interior Department will announce new rules today that clear the way for the first offshore wind turbines to be erected along the Atlantic Coast. The rules will set long-awaited guidelines for offshore leases, easements and royalty payments that the Bush administration worked on for years but did not complete. The guidelines represent the most aggressive move yet from an administration that hopes to shift the nation's offshore energy supply from oil to wind power.

An environmental group sued to block construction of a data-gathering tower in Nantucket Sound, described by the organization as the first step toward building a massive wind turbine complex in the waters between Cape Cod and Nantucket. The lawsuit filed by the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound charges that the Army Corps of Engineers improperly granted a permit to a private developer, Cape Wind Associates.

The sea surrounds this slender slip of land, and the wind blows strong and steady. For centuries, Nantucket has derived its livelihood from both resources, sending ships to distant ports and drawing visitors from around the world. Now the wind and the water off Nantucket are at the center of their own fierce storm.