The Town That Challenged the Wind Farm: Barnstable, Massachusetts
In 2008, Barnstable went to court over a set of underwater cables.
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The Town That Challenged the Wind Farm: Barnstable, Massachusetts
Barnstable, Massachusetts, sits on the south side of Cape Cod, looking out toward Nantucket Sound. This episode follows the town's long challenge to Cape Wind, a proposed offshore wind farm that would have placed 130 turbines in the Sound and carried its electricity back to shore through transmission cables. 1
The town could not simply zone turbines out of federal water. Instead, Barnstable used the parts of the project that still touched state and local authority. In 2008, town officials challenged the Cape Cod Commission's handling of the transmission lines and argued that the state Energy Facilities Siting Board could not review the commission's denial. Barnstable's 2016 annual report later described victories over the project's state permits and said the town would continue challenging the federal lease. 12
The story is not a simple claim that one town stopped one project. Barnstable was one participant among several opponents, and a 2014 federal lawsuit also included the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound and Cape Cod businesses. The project ultimately did not proceed, and the developers relinquished the federal lease in May 2018. 34
What to listen for
- Why the transmission cable became a local point of leverage.
- The difference between challenging a project and controlling the federal lease itself.
- What the empty water of Nantucket Sound says about a refusal that worked, partly, through delay and jurisdiction.
References
- 1Barnstable lawsuit challenges wind farm
capecodtimes.com
- 2Town of Barnstable FY2016 Annual Report
barnstable.gov
- 3
- 4Winds of history
mvtimes.com
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