This week, the Civil Society Institute released survey results that showed 82 percent of people in Massachusetts approved of Cape Wind, which would install wind turbines in Nantucket Sound. The news came out just as Cape Wind supporters were pushing for US Rep Ed "Biz" Markey to publicly back the project. {They are not lobbying Senator Ted Kennedy, who, in a fit of NIMBYism, has opposed the project from the get-go because Nantucket Sound is his backyard.)

82 percent isn't a number to sniff at. However, Cape Wind opponents are plugging their fingers in their ears and singing "Mary Had a Little Lamb." From the Metro:

Opponents have shrugged aside such talk, calling the numbers inconsistent with previous polls and town votes conducted on the Cape and Islands.

Audra Parker, director of strategic planning for Save our Sound, told Metro the survey uses “extreme phrasing that trivializes our position and pushes the results.”

However, many of those who participated in the survey were from the Cape and Islands.

The debate over Cape Wind is just now heating up--check out Bostonist's past coverage to see why there's so much at stake, including a talk with Cape Wind opponent Christy Mihos that presents the other side. Wind power is growing more popular in Massachusetts. Logan Airport installed turbines, Mayor Menino thought of installing some at City Hall Plaza (though we're glad that didn't work out; blades plus City Hall Plaza equals bad idea), and another company is proposing a turbine farm farther offshore than Cape Wind. Other than the City Hall plan, being on the cutting edge of wind power could be a good move for Massachusetts, both environmentally and economically.

Image of Cape Wind, the book, from Amazon.