After nine years of review, the federal government is preparing to decide whether to proceed with building the nation’s first “wind farm” off the coast of Cape Cod in Massachusetts. If the decision is “no,” it will be an embarrassment, since America is the one country that stands to benefit the most from the development of alternative energy sources. It will be another example of leaders lacking the political willpower to make choices that are in the country’s best long-term interest.

One complaint about the electricity generated from the Cape Cod wind farm is that it will be too expensive. That’s true for right now, since the price of natural gas used to power generating turbines has been exceptionally low for a year or more.

That will change one day. Anyone who remembers the high utility bills of 2008, when natural gas prices were double the current level, can testify to that ….

If any area of the country needs greater exposure to alternative energies, it is the Northeast, where most states are requiring utilities to increase the percentage of power they create from renewable resources. Massachusetts is one such state. It wants to get 15 percent of its electricity from renewables by 2020. Using offshore wind is the only way that will happen. The feds need to tell the residents of Cape Cod to prepare for the future.

Enterprise–Journal, McComb, Miss.