Colliding fronts: Making sense of the wind power debate

Public opinion regarding the implementation of wind power is divided. In 2001, the company Cape Wind LLC submitted a proposal to construct the nationpsilas first offshore wind farm in the waters of Nantucket Sound, off the coast of Cape Cod. The groups which support and oppose wind power, and specifically the Cape Wind project, have published an enormity of information that is available by accessing the resources of the World Wide Web. Much of this information is conflicting. Based on the analysis of the content of these websites, in accompaniment to a survey of 600 individuals, conclusions have been drawn regarding the factors which have triggered either the support or the opposition of wind power in Southeastern Massachusetts. The secondary information gathered suggests that the majority of information available online supports not only wind power in general, but the proposed Cape Wind project specifically. Opposition seems to primarily stem from the efforts of one group. The survey examines and contrasts the opinions of residents of The Cape and Islands, as well as the opinions of residents of neighboring towns. These areas which comprise Southeastern Massachusetts have become a national focal point for the wind debate because of the controversy surrounding the potential site of Americapsilas first offshore wind farm. Cape and Islands residents were found to have a distinct outlook pertaining to this debate.