Creating a centralized authority for approving infrastructure projects can help the U.S. to meet environmental goals, experts say.
According to the Department of Energy, the US has the potential to generate four times the amount of energy currently generated by power plants through off-shore wind turbines. However, as demonstrated in the 12-year approval process faced by the pioneering Cape Wind proposal for wind turbines on Nantucket Sound, regulatory hurdles and NIMBY grassroots action present a grave challenge to harnessing wind energy, reports Tom Zeller Jr.
While locals opposed the project on aesthetic and environmental grounds, policy experts cite decentralization of permitting authority as a major setback to getting off-shore projects approved.
Projected for completion by 2015, Cape Wind has the potential to meet 3/4 of Cape Cod's energy needs.
As part of its 2010 Smart from the Start initiative to promote renewable energy, the Obama administration has launched seven pilot off-shore projects in the U.S., but experts agree that expediting the permitting process is the only way to get closer to meeting the EPA's guidelines for 80 percent greenhouse emissions reduction by 2050.
FULL STORY: Cape Wind: Regulation, Litigation and the Struggle to Develop Off-shore Wind Power in the U.S.
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Last week the foundations for five wind turbines were towed into place off Block Island, 13 miles east of Rhode Island in the Atlantic Ocean. Scheduled to go online in 2016, they will be the first offshore wind turbines in the United States.
New York Offshore Wind Farm Offers Hope for Nascent Industry
The first commercial-scale offshore wind installation in the United States is powering roughly 70,000 homes in Long Island, New York.
Northern California Port Seeks Offshore Wind Lease
The Port of Humboldt has proposed a plan to modernize its facilities to accommodate offshore wind energy production, hoping to stimulate the local economy and create sustainable jobs.
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
Has President Trump Met His Match?
Doug Ford, the no-nonsense premier of Canada's most populous province, Ontario, is taking on Trump where it hurts — making American energy more expensive.
Study: London ULEZ Rapidly Cleaning up Air Pollution
Expanding the city’s ultra low-emission zone has resulted in dramatic drops in particle emissions in inner and outer London.
San Jose Mayor Takes Dual Approach to Unsheltered Homeless Population
In a commentary published in The Mercury News, Mayor Matt Mahan describes a shelter and law enforcement approach to ending targeted homeless encampments within Northern California's largest city.
Atlanta Changes Beltline Rail Plan
City officials say they are committed to building rail connections, but are nixing a prior plan to extend the streetcar network.
Are Black Mayors Being Pushed Out of Office?
The mayors of New York, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh all stand to lose their seats in the coming weeks. They also all happen to be Black.
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