USA is taking tentative steps towards offshore wind sector by approving a  468 MW wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts.The approval which has come after 10 years will allow the construction of 130 Siemens turbines  . The delay in the project was due to opposition from a variety of interests .Some of these interests are proponents of  natural beauty,others think that wind turbines would destroy the wildlife and some are fisherman. Well everyone thinks of their own narrow interests.Nobody think about broader problem of the tons of carbon dioxide emitted from fossil  fuel plants  that would lead to much more destruction on a global basis in the future. The Europeans have been been much more aggressive and intelligent in the climate change and renewable energy space. Something drastic would need to happen  to force the US to move forward on climate change

Cape Wind Farm Finally Approved – Technology Review

The Cape Wind offshore wind project, which could be the first built in the U.S., has been approved by U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. The decision, announced today, comes after nearly 10 years of political opposition, environmental reviews, and most recently objections from local Indian tribes.

Because of these objections, Salazar is requiring that the project be scaled back from 170 wind turbines to 130 wind turbines and that the developer conduct more marine archaeological surveys. He is also requiring “other steps” to make them less visible, such as the coloring of the turbines and their lighting.

Salazar acknowledged that the permitting process was a mess. “There’s no reason an offshore wind permit should take a decade,” he said. He’s working on streamlining the process.

Lawsuits could yet delay the project further. But Salazar thinks these can be overcome. “We are very confident that we will be able to uphold the decision against legal challenges that might be filed,” he said.

Massachusetts Governor Duvall Patrick says construction could begin within a year.