Cape Wind wins multiple legal victories

Siemens Wind Turbines Cape Wind Rendering

United States District Judge Reggie B. Walton issued rulings on Friday in four lawsuits that challenged Cape Wind’s permitting approval by the U.S. Department of Interior.

Judge Walton upheld the Department of the Interior – along with 16 other Federal and State agencies’ – review and approval of Cape Wind, a permitting process that took 10 years and includes more than 400,000 pages.

Judge Walton rejected a long list of legal claims opponents had raised, including arguments over the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Endangered Species Act, the Migratory Birds Treaty Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, the Coast Guard and the Maritime Transportation Act of 2006.

The four lawsuits were originally filed in 2010 by the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, the Town of Barnstable, the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe and the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.

To read Judge Walton’s decision, click here.

Subscribe to Power Engineering magazine

 

http://www.power-eng.com/articles/2014/03/cape-wind-wins-multiple-legal-victories.html