Cape Wind's cloudy future
The recent announcement by two of Massachusetts' largest utilities — National Grid and Northeast Utilities — to pull out of the Cape Wind project is a serious setback to the estimated $2.6 billion undertaking. And that could be an understatement given the change in the governor's office this month, which could presage a different level of support for the project on Beacon Hill.
Deval Patrick was a fierce advocate of the offshore wind farm, even wresting a commitment from NStar to buy power from Cape Wind in 2012 as it sought to merge with Connecticut-based Northeast Utilities. But his Republican successor, Charlie Baker, though a supporter of renewable energy, is much less likely to jump in to save it, if a recent statement by his energy and environmental affairs secretary, Matthew Beaton, serves as an indicator. Beaton, the former state representative from Shrewsbury, told State House News Service that the Baker administration will leave it to the courts “to determine the best path forward” as Cape Wind faces legal hurdles, especially from its chief environmental and political opponent, the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound.
No matter how the court rules, we doubt the new governor is going to become an active advocate. While we believe Baker's support for the development of renewable energy is genuine, we don't believe the administration will do the level of heavy-handed lobbying that would force the hand of any utility into a deal it doesn't like. And the administration shouldn't.
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