Our Federal Government's Monumental Mistake

To the editor: I am a Nantucket year-round resident for the past 46 years and a Massachusetts resident all my life. I have also lived in five other coastal towns in our state. I speak for Cape Cod and the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket but from a Nantucketers point of view.

If the question had ever been asked of me to rate on a scale from 1 to 10 the view of the ocean where I live my answer would be 10. If I were asked the same question about the view of the ocean in our states on the Gulf of Mexico - without meaning to offend anyone - it would be 5. The reason being is that their views of the sea are interrupted by oil rigs and platforms. My whole life I have been proud that we have not allowed these in our Northern Atlantic water views. Nantucket is a beautiful place where we can watch the sunrise from the sea and the sunset in the sea. Nantucket is an old whaling town where thousands of homes - many original - have roof walks where in the whaling era wives and family members would go up on top of their house to search for the sails of returning ships on the horizon. That is the same view we have today or it was until our federal government granted permission to a utility company to erect 24 wind turbine towers of such size and scope in a location that completely alters this historic pristine view of the horizon.

Our view is now downgraded. The cumulative cost over time of Nantucket being thought of even a little bit less is tremendous. These towers are 800 feet tall with blades the length of football fields. At that size and scope and where they are located this does not look like an offshore wind turbine project. It should be called an "At The Beach Wind Turbine Project." This is the new oil rig platform of the north because they are not any more pleasant to see in the ocean view.

This view of the sea that until now has been perfect. This ocean view defines us. It is the heart and soul of why so many come here. It is why we live here. You can be for offshore wind power or against it, but the fact remains that this visual pollution of the view compared to nature left alone diminishes us.

The mistake is that this is unnecessary. It is not a last resort in our effort to get global warming under control. These towers could be located where with the curve of the Earth and the diminished scale of distance they would not be visible at all. If offshore wind power is truly part of the answer to global warming it will not be because of 24 structures that are three-quarters the height of the Empire State Building ruining our view. It will take thousands of them. The ocean views that Massachusetts has had should be what the rest of the states aspire to have. We should not follow them. The precedent is now being set as to how we change. The perfection of the view of the ocean from the beaches of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket is a national treasure. It is a subtle beauty but as important as the mile-deep Grand Canyon or the sheer rock face of El Capitan. The solution of offshore wind power generation is an acceptable solution only if it is truly offshore.

Let this be an open letter of appeal to President of the United States Joe Biden to review this federal decision and that before you leave office, please by executive order make the determination that the protection of the historical ocean views as seen from the beaches of Cape Cod and the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket are a national treasure and deserve protection by creating a zone for a clear view of the horizon outside of which any future industrialization can only take place. Please grant our view National Park status.

Nantucket is a town where we do not have a single traffic light. When there is no moon out and there is clear weather you can, with just a 10-minute drive, find a dark enough place to observe the Milky Way and it, like the sun or moon, rises and sets.

Nantucket is a rare place where it is possible to observe and record it setting into the sea. The light from the stars has traveled through space for billions of years to arrive here to be observed and recorded merging into the ocean at our current time. I include these recordings from the same location two years apart so the impact can be observed of the introduction of an intrusion into our view at night like a New York City skyline. This can be avoided. Which legacy will you choose?

I thank you.

Sam Hill