The deadline that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar set for the controversial Cape Wind energy project in Massachusetts is approaching with no agreement in sight.

Salazar hoped the developers, two tribes and other interested parties to reach a compromise by March 1. But on a recent visit to Nantucket Sound, he said he didn't think a deal was near.

That means Salazar will decide the fate of the project on his own. He will weight the Obama administration's support for wind energy against the concerns of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe.

The two tribes say the 440-foot turbines that are part of the project will block their view of the sun and disrupt burial grounds and archaeological sites at Nantucket Sound. The sound was dry land that was occupied by Wampanoag ancestors.

Citing the tribal aspect, the National Park Service said this week that Nantucket Sound should be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Such a designation requires the tribes to be consulted about actions that affect the site.

Get the Story:
Fate Of Offshore Wind Farm In Government's Hands (NPR 2/26)
Tribal Member Disputes Claim of Sacred Ground (The Martha's Vineyard Gazette 2/26)

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