Cape Wind Approved - Coast Guard Burning Oil Spill in Gulf

Ken Salazar has approved the Cape Wind project, the first offshore wind project in the United States. This is a huge victory for clean energy. 

Meanwhile, the disaster from the oil rig explosion in the Gulf continues to expand as an oil slick the size of Rhode Island heads towards shore. None of the oil industry's methods of containing the oil spill are working, so the US Coast Guard has made the decision to burn the oil. 

This is a very interesting confluence of events. It would be hard to imagine how one could more dramatically illustrate the divergent futures we can expect for our world if we follow the clean energy path or if we follow the dirty, drill-baby-drill, fossil-fuel powered vision of the future. 

Our nation made the commitment 40 years ago to clean water and clean air after the Cuyahuga River caught fire as a result of an oil spill there.  When we see that our best case scenario from an deep oil rig accident is to set fire to an oil slick the size of Rhode Island, we are just beginning to understand the true costs of this type of accident. 

To those residents of Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard and Cape Cod who are concerned about the view from their beach front properties, I ask that you consider the effect of an oil slick the size of Rhode Island traveling up the Gulf Stream and polluting our shores from Louisiana to Cape Cod. We are all connected. 

Our rivers and oceans should not be on fire. We must commit to ourselves, to our nation, to our children that we will do everything in our power to ensure that this does not occur again!