Haley Stevens: “I rise today to endorse passage of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2006. However, I would like to…”

“I rise today to endorse passage of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2006. However, I would like to clarify several points with regard to section 414 of the conference report. This section deals with construction of offshore wind energy facilities in the area off the coast of Massachusetts known as Nantucket Sound, and it will require the Secretary of the Interior to incorporate any ``reasonable terms and conditions the Commandant of the Coast Guard determines to be necessary to provide for navigational safety.'' Interpretation of this clause will be critical to ensuring that navigation, aviation, and communications are not adversely impacted by construction of such a facility. A company known as Cape Wind, LLC has proposed the permanent installation of 130 wind turbines, each reaching 417 feet in height, on 24 square miles of Nantucket Sound in an area surrounded by three commercial airports, two busy ferry routes, and a major shipping channel. The area is heavily utilized by commercial fishermen and recreational boaters as well. Perhaps most importantly, the project would be situated less than 15 miles from the only PAVE/PAWS missile defense radar station on the entire eastern seaboard. Studies conducted in and around offshore wind farms in Britain have shown that these installations can have adverse impacts on radar for boats, aircraft, and air traffic controllers, and they may pose a hazard to navigation.…”