Oil Spill, Another Reason for Wind

April 27, 2003 – Vol.8 No.5

OIL SPILL ANOTHER REASON FOR WIND.

If we could ignore the damage to wildlife and to the shoreline of the 15,000 gallon oil spill off the coast of Cape Cod this week (which we can’t, of course) we could say in a cynical tone that the oil spill was the best promotion for offshore wind money can’t buy.

The spill from a tear in single-hulled barge bound for a Cape Cod Canal power plant happened a few dozen miles from the proposed Cape Wind, and other offshore wind projects planned for the south coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

To date the spill of No.6 fuel oil has affected 40 miles of shoreline, killed 91 birds with another 69 under rehabilitation. Only 25 percent of those are expected to survive.

The clean-up process, which has so far skimmed 3200 gallons of oil from the water and included the removal of 12 tractor trailer loads of solid waste from the shoreline, will take up to two more weeks. Already $2 million is estimated to have been spent on the clean-up.

More than 750 have volunteered in clean-up efforts - 750 who would likely support offshore wind energy, if they don’t already. Visit planned offshore wind projects for Cape Cod, Cape Wind at http://www.capewind.org/ and Winergy http://www.winergyllc.com/ .