Solyndra foe trains sights on Cape Wind

The congressman who led the Capitol Hill probe into the collapse of taxpayer-backed Solyndra is calling for an investigation of Cape Wind amid accusations federal air-safety officials caved under political pressure — saying both projects bear the mark of an overbearing White House pushing green power at all costs.

The hotly contested Nantucket Sound power project has come under fire after opponents produced bombshell FAA emails — obtained through a public records request and provided to the Herald — showing the agency felt political pressure to approve Cape Wind despite concerns its 440-foot-tall turbines would interfere with radar and ensnare small, low-flying planes.

“This is yet another example of this administration making dubious decisions based upon political considerations in pushing out these energy projects without conducting due diligence that would call into question their viability or value,” U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) told the Herald in a statement.

“It appears that an investigation is warranted in the case of Cape Wind to determine if the FAA acted inappropriately due to political pressure from the administration. Such an investigation would be conducted by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and/or the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.”

The Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, which opposes Cape Wind, also has called for a federal probe into allegations the Patrick administration and White House bullied the Federal Aviation Administration into brushing off public safety risks and approving what would be the nation’s first offshore wind farm.

Read rest…