A panel of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation held its final hearing on the controversial Cape Wind energy project in Massachusetts.

Leaders of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe told the panel that 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.

"It's clear to me that this goes above and beyond any place that should ever be considered for an electric power plant," said George "Chuckie" Green, Mashpee, The Cape Cod Times reported.

The panel will make a recommendation to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar by April 14. It's not clear whether he has to follow the panel's advice when he make a final decision on the project.

John Berrey, the chairman of the Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma, sits on the panel.

Get the Story:
Feds hear final comments on Cape Wind (The Cape Cod Times 3/23)
State preservation chief cites wind farm impact (The Boston Globe 3/23)

Relevant Documents:
Secretary Salazar Letter | Press Release

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