[MassHistPres] Nantucket Sound Wind Farm

[Bjdurk at aol.com]

Stakeholders, particularly the fishermen, expressed concern that this area  
is an Essential Fish Habitat and squid spawning ground (the important  food 
source for other species).  There is concern about the  effects of 
electromagnetic fields and shifting sands where Cape Wind cables will  travel 
between the turbines, and then to land.  Jet plowing that is  dredging is expected 
due to the draft of wind turbine  installations vessels and the shallow 
areas in parts of the  shoals.  These disturbances of the seabed are a concern 
as is  potential blasting of bedrock should this bedrock prevent pile 
driving 80' into  the sea bed.  There is grave concern expressed about pile 
driving and  potential blasting effects on shell and finfish and other  species. 
The endangered northern right whale (there are  approximately 340 in the 
world and each has a name) have been recently  spotted migrating in Nantucket 
Sound.  Sea din, noise, from pile driving  and vessels, is anticipated to 
cause a "take" of marine mammals by "harassment"  according to the federal 
Marine Mammal Commission with purview.   Whales feed, breed and navigate by 
sound.  There are endangered  seals in this location as well.  This is a 
migratory flyway with  and area where endangered birds are present, with the roseate 
tern at the "brink  of extinction" also present.    
 
The hostile and fragile marine area of Nantucket Sound was once dry  land.  
The THPO of the Aquinnah Tribe stated. "The idea of blasting our  ancients' 
remains is repugnant" as First Americans' generations of 10,000  years they 
contend are buried here.  
 
I hope this answers some of your questions.  I'm not an expert,  but I'm 
very familiar with testimony taken over the last nine years.  
 
Thank You, 
 
Barbara Durkin 
 
 
In a message dated 4/28/2010 5:05:33 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
veronica_mcclure at harvard.edu writes:

 
Do we really know how  the underwater construction of these turbines will 
affect the seabed and the  creatures in it, the water, and the air?  
I understand that  there are offshore turbines in other locations and have 
heard them used to  justify this installation, but seems to me that the 
features of each seabed,  the methods of construction (will there be blasting?), 
and the differences in  organisms from place to place should caution 
against automatically assuming  that if it works in one location, it will work in 
any  other.  
I’m not an expert in  these things, but that doesn’t mean I can’t wonder 
about  them. 
Veronica McClure   

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