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

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

High-rise apartment buildings in Waikiki, Hawaii with steep green mountains in background.

Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss

The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.

April 6, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 10, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

A line of white wind turbines surrounded by wheat and soybean fields with a cloudy blue sky in the background.

Wind Energy on the Rise Despite Federal Policy Reversal

The Trump administration is revoking federal support for renewable energy, but demand for new projects continues unabated.

April 15 - Fast Company

Red and white Caltrain train.

Passengers Flock to Caltrain After Electrification

The new electric trains are running faster and more reliably, leading to strong ridership growth on the Bay Area rail system.

April 15 - Office of Governor Gavin Newsom

View up at brick Catholic church towers and modern high-rise buildings.

Texas Churches Rally Behind ‘Yes in God’s Back Yard’ Legislation

Religious leaders want the state to reduce zoning regulations to streamline leasing church-owned land to housing developers.

April 15 - NBC Dallas