Army Corps of Engineers Releases Cape Wind Draft Environmental Impact Statement to Public.

BOSTON -- 17 Federal and State Agency Report reveals energy, environmental and economic benefits of offshore wind farm

The 3,800 page Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) released by the Army Corps of Engineers shows that Cape Wind will produce compelling public interest benefits with positive environmental impacts. The report is the product of three years of scientific, environmental and economic analysis and includes the input of 17 federal and state cooperating agencies with inclusive public participation.

"This report is a big step towards greater energy independence, lower energy costs, new jobs and a healthier environment. The release of this report represents a notable victory for an informed public dialogue during the permitting process given the sustained campaign by project opponents to keep this report from ever seeing the light of day. This is great news for citizens hoping to turn decades of rhetoric into action on renewable energy," said Jim Gordon, President of Cape Wind.

The release of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement follows two positive reports from the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board and the Department of Energy that also found that the Cape Wind project would produce important energy, environmental and economic benefits for the region.

"Natural gas and oil prices have reached record heights; the Cape Wind DEIS is a timely reminder that we can take steps to fight back. Harnessing wind power will help propel us toward a healthier environment and increased energy security and independence," Gordon said.

Here are some notable findings in the US Army Corps of Engineers' DEIS:

Energy

Cape Wind would reduce energy costs in several ways. Energy produced by Cape Wind will displace an equivalent amount of energy that would otherwise have been needed from more expensive fossil fuel sources. Cape Wind will place downward pressure on the price of electricity in any given hour in the New England spot market for all consumers. By decreasing the region's overall dependence on, and demand for, natural gas, Cape Wind would save money for natural gas customers by helping to stabilize volatile gas price fluctuations; it would also contribute to reducing the region's dependency on foreign oil.

Economic

The manufacturing, construction, and operation of Cape Wind would have a positive economic and fiscal impact on Barnstable County and on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and adjacent areas of Rhode Island. The report estimates that 600 to 1,000 new jobs would be created during the construction period.

The combination of direct, indirect and induced effects of Cape Wind would generate permanent economic changes in Massachusetts during the operation phase, most of which would be concentrated in Barnstable County, that will result in annual permanent increases of the following: 154 jobs, $21.8 million in economic output; $10.2 million in value added; and, nearly $7 million in labor income.

According to the United States Department of Energy, Cape Wind would also have economic benefits at the national level on the US economy in the range of $1.5 to $2.0 billion.

There is no expected adverse impact upon local real estate prices or tourism.

Air Quality, Health and Global Warming 

Cape Wind could significantly reduce the amount of pollution we breathe and help to reduce mercury emissions, ozone and acid rain in region. Cape Wind could have an annual cumulative beneficial effect on public health estimated at approximately $53 million dollars resulting from reduced air pollution.

Cape Wind would offset approximately one million tons of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide annually.

About Cape Wind

Cape Wind's proposal to build America's first offshore wind farm on Horseshoe Shoal would provide three-quarters of the electricity used on Cape Cod and the Islands from clean, renewable energy - reducing this region's need to import fossil fuels. Cape Wind will create new jobs, lower electric costs, contribute to a healthier environment, increase energy independence and establish Massachusetts as a leader in offshore wind power.

For more information and a link to the full DEIS when posted, visit www.capewind.org.