Why Cape Wind? Investing in America's energy future, not just Canada’s

The Wall Street Journal carried an opinion article recently by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., again attacking the proposed Cape Wind offshore wind farm in Nantucket Sound and recommending purchasing electricity for New England instead from giant Canadian utility Hydro Quebec.

This is reminiscent of how the U.S.–25 years after dominating the world wind energy industry in the early 1980s–finds itself today playing catch-up in the race to attract the factories and jobs needed for a robust domestic supply chain. We temporarily abandoned our wind industry in 1985 because of short-sighted concerns over the cost of competing, while other more far-sighted countries forged ahead. Today uncertain federal policies still threaten U.S. wind developers and manufacturers.

Today, Germany, Denmark and the U.K. are already installing large offshore wind projects and planning to build more, many more, in the future. In the process, they are further building their manufacturing base and gathering invaluable experience in installing, operating and servicing these giant turbines.

AWEA supports sourcing our energy needs from within the United States, adding not only domestic energy supplies, but also creating more jobs here and expanding the U.S. manufacturing base. That will not happen if New England instead purchases more hydropower from Canada, when domestic wind energy can supply what is needed.