Feature story - August 8, 2006
Greenpeace USA Executive Director John Passacantando joined Robert Righter, the author of "Wind Energy in America: A History," and Jerry Taylor, a senior fellow focusing on energy policy and environmental protection at the Cato Institute on Justice Talking with host Margot Adler and a full audience from the local community.
The high price of gasoline and the international furor over global warming have pushed policymakers to look at alternative sources of energy that can reduce costs and alleviate U.S. dependence on foreign oil.
Residents of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket have been polarized by proposals for wind farms in the waters around the Massachusetts coast. A proposal to place 130 wind turbines in Nantucket Sound has the support of some business leaders and environmentalists, but others worry that the turbines will jeopardize the ecological balance in the region and threaten its tourism and fishing industries.
On July 19th, NPR's Justice Talking and the Cape and Islands NPR Stations hosted a debate in Chatham, Massachusetts on the controversial issue of wind energy.
Learn more and listen to the debate at http://www.justicetalking.org.