(MM / 03-05-10)  The President Obama has decided to promote the first offshore wind farm in the U. S. A. off the coast of Massachusetts. After a long decade litigating, and opposed, among others, by deceased Senator Ted Kennedy, the project Cape Wind has been approved by the Federal Government.

So has been announced by the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in a controversial visit to Cape Cod, where the deep division that the project creates among the population has been evident.

“We have taken a new direction in the energy future of this country”, said Salazar, among signs of support and rejection of the offshore wind farm, 8 km. far from Nantucket Island. “This is our final decision and I expect we can face all legal challenges”, he said.

The wind faro, with 130 turbines and 3.6 MW will be able to provide up to 75% of the electricity the 225.000 people in Cape Cod use by 2012. Despite having been supported by Obama Administration and Governor Deval Patrick, the project still faces possible litigation that could jeopardize its implementation.

Audra Parker, head of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Channel, announced that he will take the project to court claiming its ecological impact. “We refuse the industrial development in a specially protected area for its high natural interest”, said Parker.

The Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe, living in the neighbouring island Martha’s Vineyard has also anticipated legal action for having considered that the area chosen for the wind farm will interfere with sacred sites designated for burials.

The most strong resistance to the project however has been raised the Kennedys, from whose family estate in Hyannisport the turbines could be seen on the skyline.

Obama Administration is planning to get advantage of the situation to announce new offshore wind farm projects in the next months, with the purpose of getting the 4% of total U.S. electricity supply by 2030. The northeastern United States, from Maryland to New Hampshire, is the band chosen for the development of most of the projects.