The Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe are fighting federal approval of a wind energy project in Massachusetts.

The tribes say the 440-foot-tall turbines planned by Cape Wind will obstruct their view of Nantucket Sound. They also say the project will disrupt sacred sites in Horseshoe Shoal.

"It is a place where our ancestors are buried," George "Chuckie" Green, a historical officer for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, told The New York Times. "It is a place that is principal to our practices. An unobstructed view of the eastern sun is paramount to our religion."

The Minerals Management Service has to consult with the tribes under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Cape Wind developers say the project will survive the review.

Get the Story:
Pioneering Wind Farm Faces Another Delay, This Time Over Indian Sites (ClimateWire 10/5)

Related Stories:
Obama declined Aquinnah Wampanoag meeting (08/31)
Letter: Tribal opposition to wind energy project (07/16)
Massachusetts tribes oppose wind turbine site (7/15)
NYT Blog: Salazar on Indian Country rights-of-way (03/25)