I’ll grant you that the article paints the picture it wants to paint and that I my own opinions are basically right in line with that point of view.
And politicians are assholes around the world.

With those concessions, however, I’ll just repeat that I don’t buy any environmental argument against wind farms. Given that, the whole thing boils down to asthetics from my angle and that’s just lame (in my opinion — I like the way wind farms look.). Check this quote:

”We don’t want it looking like Laguardia Airport at night,” he [Robert Kennedy Jr.] said, referring to the lights that would adorn each turbine. The benefits enjoyed by more than 5 million people each year should not be compromised by the Cape Wind project…”

So, he doesn’t want to see lights on the night horizon? Really? (I know, that’s not the entire argument being presented, but…)

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Some links:
These four have basically the same content, so the number or sources means nothing: Cape Wind, AWEA, Long Island, Greenpeace (Yeah, Greenpeace… I know.)

Tons of stuff at the Cape Cod Times

The one source I put the most stock in: Union of Concerned Scientists

Also, just because the article used the hook of richies worried about their property and view doesn’t mean that the woman they interviewed emphasized that point when asked. Plus, and I’m just playing devil’s advocate here, but might the complaints of the people that own that pricey real estate actually cause property to lose value?

The Nantucket windfarm proposal has been marred by dirty pool being played on both sides.

The major crock is that people are claiming environmental worries, but are obviously more concerned with their own “investments”. They are trying to use a bunch of FUD to keep their own interests protected. I just don’t buy the idea of a windfarm three miles off shore dramatically dropping real estate values.

As for the fishing grounds… I’m sure someone much more research minded than myself could find references for how the many sea-bound windfarms in Europe affected the fishing industry there.

Why don’t groups build windfarms on dumps or wastelands? Why do they seem to be targeting the oceans? Maybe it’s because if you go far enough offshore you can try to escape state jurisdiction.