May 29, 2007
Bostonist Book Review: Cape Wind
There was an Old Man of Nantucket
Who often set sail in a bucket
When faced with a Man
Who had a grand plan
Well, as for the Earth, he said __________.
Cape Wind, the hotly debated proposal to build a wind-turbine farm in Nantucket Sound, looks like a brilliant idea. Building wind turbines that took advantage of Cape Cod winds would relieve pressure on the electrical grid, generate clean energy, and help wean the United States off that addictive foreign oil. Even better, a private company offered to risk the money to build the turbines, so the taxpayers wouldn't be left holding the bag - or at least as much of the bag - if things didn't work out.
So, why aren't wind turbines churning away in Nantucket Sound, and why aren't Massachusetts leaders resting on their laurels, basking in the praise they would have received as innovators when it came to renewable energy?
Wendy Williams and Robert Whitcomb, authors of the new nonfiction work Cape Wind, might argue that it can all be summed up in the following statement from Massachusetts senior Senator Ted Kennedy: "But don't you realize, that's where I sail."
When businessman Jim Gordon first started pushing the idea of Cape Wind in 2001, he didn't realize that he would have to break through the thick Cape Cod Upper Crust, made up of some of the richest, most powerful people in the United States, to get the job done. Even though Ted Kennedy was fighting against drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and Robert Kennedy Jr. was spreading the good word of environmental causes, these leaders and their neighbors didn't want these turbines obstructing their expensive views or impeding their sailing excursions.
More of the review after the jump!
Using in-depth interviews with Jim Gordon's team, Cape Wind exposes the back-room machinations of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, composed of Cape Cod Upper Crust members and their employees. However, that's a weakness of the book - the reliance on interviews with Gordon's team make the book so clearly pro-Cape Wind that there's no view of the other side.
But the authors point out that the members of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound didn't speak with them, so they had to rely on research and observations. As a result, the story follows the basic good guys vs. bad guys plot, with Jim Gordon being such a good guy that it's tough not to imagine him in skintight superhero leotards, blasting away his opponents with wind power.
As the book progresses, it becomes easier to root for Gordon given the class conflict at the heart of the Cape Wind debate. The Cape Cod Upper Crust has the luxury of spending as much as it wants to keep wind turbines out of its watery backyard. The residents of New Bedford and Fall Creek are not as lucky, and they must cope with the consequences of the 2003 Buzzards Bay oil spill:
On the shorelines of Buzzards Bay sit two sizable cities with large numbers of people who live below the poverty line - New Bedford, known as "the City That Lit the World" because of its nineteenth-century whale-oil industry, and Fall River, known as "the Spindle City" because of textile mills that existed there long ago. Most of the residents of these cities are, horror of horrors, forced to summer where they winter.
The authors continue to satirize the class that uses "summer" as a verb. With great glee, they relay the story of Bunny Mellon calling a Cape Wind supporter a "traitor to your class." The authors quickly add the snarky comment that Ms. Mellon is the "granddaughter of a Midwestern mouthwash manufacturer," not a British blueblood.
Politicans also don't escape the book's wrath. The authors suggest that Mitt Romney didn't support Cape Wind because he didn't want to bite the hand that fed him, and they also describe an embarrassing episode in which former Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Tom Reilly shoved an Army Corps spokesman and hogged the microphone at a public hearing so he could hop on the anti-Cape Wind gravy train.
But not all the protagonists are that clear-cut. The authors spend time on Walter Cronkite, who publicly opposed the project at first, largely because he is such a close friend of the Kennedy family. As a newsman, it is surprising that he buys into the argument of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound so quickly, but he's also caught in a sticky social situation. Eventually, when he hears more about the project, he has a change of heart and withdraws that opposition.
As a satire of class conflict and the political system in general, Cape Wind is excellent. The authors find the juice in endless council meetings and lawsuits. Some of the real-life characters are reduced to cardboard cutouts to serve the author's purposes, but that doesn't mean the book isn't entertaining and informative. If anything, it should get you to learn more about the project and make up your own mind because the need for renewable energy is only going to grow.
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What about the other Ted? US Senator Ted Stevens attempted some legislative chicanery to stop the project?
Excellent ???? You have to be kidding!! This book is so poorly written and outdated, that it is not worth the trees that were killed for it. This is more science fiction combined with National Enquirer tabloid slander. The author never spoke to the airports, fisherman, chambers or state reps that are against the project. We expected this kind of crap from Williams, but we are very surprised that Whitcomb would lower him self to this gutter talk.
Think about it, this arrogant hack writer has the gall to insult a world class gentleman reporter such as Walter Cronkite?
Get the facts! Radar interference, closing of fishing grounds, ship and air navigation dangers.
This high school level fable should be called Cape Spin!!
I spoke with the book reviewer from the New York Times. He put it plainly "Cape Wind" "is a bad book and written badly too".
We have developer directed development ongoing as we have not done our job by zoning first. We need to create exclusion zones that apply to alternative energy, or alternate use projects being proposed for the Outer Continental Shelf.
While I object to Cape Wind proposed for Nantucket Sound as a tourist who appreciates the current scenic value, I also recognize that Cape Wind would create a public safety hazard, kill birds in unacceptable numbers, some endangered, and destroy the fishing industry according to actual fishermen working in this Essential Fish Habitat. Cape Wind promises to give wind energy generation in the U.S. a black eye.
We have developer directed development ongoing as we have not done our job by zoning first. We need to create exclusion zones that apply to alternative energy, or alternate use projects being proposed for the Outer Continental Shelf.
The best place for us to start is to finish the job of protecting Nantucket Sound in perpetuity from inappropriate development. This place is on the active list for consideration as a national marine sanctuary. Nantucket Sound is surrounded by state sanctuary water.
Wendy Williams is on the outside looking in. Her bias was likely the reason she was denied access to the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound.
Wendy and Robert are crusading for Cape Wind as pointed out by Jim Braude. While, there are many serious considerations that this book overlooks. Cape Wind, the book, can’t be taken seriously as it exploits the exploitation proposed by Cape Wind. It’s not science, it’s junk science and provides no basis for informed decision making during a permitting process.
Wendy Williams provided the bird issue as an example of a wild claim made by Cape Wind's opponents during a recent interview with Jim Braude.
At about the same time, a Congressional Subcommittee had been formed, and a Full Legislative Hearing on this issue was underway...
“The fear is that with all the new wind farms rolling out, there is a new Altamont being created today,” says Greg Butcher, National Audubon’s director of bird conservation."
"The exact reasons for the improvement are a matter of debate, but collisions seem far fewer when wind farms keep out of major flyways and give a wide berth to rich prey sites like Altamont and attractive bird habitats such as wetlands.”
Either Wendy hasn’t done her homework, or her dog ate it. In either case, her credibility is lacking, and her book is an incredible extension of that.
I don’t need to read the book understand that.
The tone of self righteous indignation taken by the authors over the political prowess and maneuvering of the opponents of Cape Wind is rich. They conveniently fail to mention that Cape Wind passed "Go" in the developer favorable clause slipped into the Energy Policy Act of 2005 that provided this developer with a "no bid" deal for Nantucket Sound. Cape Wind eliminated all competition for our resource. Dennis Duffy of Cape Wind testified in favor of weakening the National Environmental Policy Act NEPA, federal law under which Cape Wind is being reviewed. Congressman Pombo failed to disclose his family’s interest in wind energy when he sought to tweak laws to favor wind interests. This list goes on and reflects that Cape Wind and friends, GE, AWEA, and to whomever our $billion in subsidies, and this resource would be payable to, have indeed participated in nefarious activities themselves. That is at least according to the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington in House Resource Chair, Congressman Pombo’s case.
Cape Wind also poses a threat to public safety and wildlife.
Caper, whether or not the book is excellent is a matter of taste. But I must defend the authors on one of your points - they did not insult Walter Cronkite. In fact, they treated him with the respect that he deserves. They may have satirized other people in the book, but not Cronkite.
Caroline,
I agree, it is a matter of taste. Anyone one that has taste knows how tasteless this fable is. It is an insult to every grandfateher and mother that brought their families to the Cape because it was so special.
Williams has managed to insult every Cape Codder that it is trying to keep it that way.
Nantucket Sound is the heart and soul of our economy.
It is what makes Cape Cod and the Islands a special place.
This book is nothing more than a hard copy tabloid.
I agree, Caper, Cape Wind, the book, is insulting as a hard copy tabloid. I understand that it's sitting on the book shelves at the Cape, and consider that as indication that the "favor" is being returned to Wendy and Robert.
The Cape and Islands is a very special place. The propaganda and insults hurled by these author will not advance Cape Wind to Nantucket Sound.
Apparently, the tactics and strategy used by the authors isn't helping books sales either.