Panel backs Wampanoag tribes in dispute over sacred sites
A panel of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation is urging Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to reject a controversial wind farm in Massachusetts.

The panel, whose members included John Berrey, the chairman of the Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma, said the Cape Wind energy project will have "adverse effects" on tribal sites. The impacts "cannot be satisfactorily mitigated," the ACHP said in its formal comments.

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe welcomed the comments. They 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.

Salazar doesn't have to follow the ACHP panel's recommendation. He expects to make a final decision on the matter by the end of this month.

Get the Story:
Blow dealt to Cape Wind project (The Cape Cod Times 4/3)
Historic council urges Salazar to reject proposed wind farm (The Boston Globe 4/3)
Cape Wind panel says no (The Boston Herald 4/3)

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