Wind Farms Spark NOMB Complaints

As the Not On My Beach crowd speaks out against wind farms, a certain level of hypocrisy emerges and shows the way for NIMBYs everywhere.

1 minute read

April 12, 2007, 9:00 AM PDT

By tnac


"The loudest and most prolonged of the wind battles began in 2001 off the patrician shores of Cape Cod, where community dissent has delayed an ambitious plan to create America's first offshore (and the world's second largest) wind farm. The project, known as Cape Wind, would erect 130 turbines on a shoal in Nantucket Sound just five miles away from the closest beaches."

"One of the loudest of these local voices is Robert Kennedy, Jr.'s. The irony: Kennedy is a senior environmental lawyer for the New York City-based National Resources Defense Council, which has issued a statement in support of Cape Wind. But Kennedy continues his protests. In an op-ed in the New York Times in late 2005, he said he is in favor of wind farms in "appropriate landscapes," but that windmill arms reaching 417 feet above the water would be visible for 26 miles. Their bright lights would "steal the stars and nighttime views" from Cape Cod, he wrote. "

"Although no other wind project has prompted such extensive, high-profile debate, the arguments over Cape Wind are informing cases around the country. "

Sunday, April 1, 2007 in The Next American City

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Concrete Brutalism building with slanted walls and light visible through an atrium.

What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities

How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.

February 28, 2025 - Justin Hollander

Complete Street

‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge

Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.

February 27, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Green electric Volkswagen van against a beach backdrop.

The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan

Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.

March 3, 2025 - ABC 7 Eyewitness News

View of mountains with large shrubs in foreground in Altadena, California.

Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire

In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.

March 9 - Pasadena NOw

Aerial view of single-family homes with swimming pools in San Diego, California.

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.

March 9 - Axios

Close-up of row of electric cars plugged into chargers at outdoor station.

Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives

A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.

March 9 - UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation