By Lena Babaeva Coradini

So the wind farm off Cape Cod was approved by the Interior Secretary Salazar.  The decision was not without some requirements:

In announcing the much-anticipated decision, Mr. Salazar hastened to add that he was requiring the developer, Cape Wind Associates, to take several steps to mitigate possibly adverse effects on the environment — including views from the Kennedy Compound National Historic Landmark, which overlooks Nantucket Sound. Those steps include adjusting the turbines’ color and configuration.

. . .

In a nod to the concerns of the Kennedys — and presumably other property owners in the area — Mr. Salazar said he had ordered Cape Wind to limit the number of turbines to 130 instead of the initial 170, to move the farm farther away from Nantucket and to reduce its breadth to make it less visible from the Nantucket Historic District.

Mr. Salazar said that the turbines should also be painted off-white to reduce their contrast with the sea and sky while still remaining visible to birds and that their lights should be turned off during the day and dimmed more at night than originally planned.

. . .

The Interior Department also met with resistance from two Wampanoag tribes, who have said the turbines would interfere with their sacred ceremonies and submerged burial grounds. Mr. Salazar has ordered Cape Wind to take steps to mitigate those problems, including further archeological surveys.

The divisiveness of the project has long been documented:

Friends and foes have squared off over the impact it would have on nature, local traditions, property values and electricity bills; on the profits to be pocketed by a private developer; and even the urgency of easing the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels, a priority of the Obama administration.

Opponents argued that Cape Wind would create an industrial eyesore in a pristine area; supporters countered that it was worth sacrificing aesthetics for the longer-term goal of producing clean, renewable energy.

Developers say that Cape Wind will provide 75 percent of the power for Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard — the equivalent of that produced by a medium-size coal-fired plant. It would also reduce carbon dioxide emissions by the equivalent of taking 175,000 cars off the road, officials said, and provide 1,000 construction jobs.

It will not be a smooth ride from here on out though. Additionally, the FAA has not yet made a final ruling on the safety of the project, the final purchase power agreement for a utility to carry the power has not yet been signed, and serious questions about financing remain.