On Thursday, March 13, to many students’ surprise, a big crowd lined up in front of the Clark building holding signs and encouraging others to join them. For those who don’t know, Thursday was the day of the Cape Wind Public Hearing.

First proposed in 2001, Cape Wind is a proposed off-shore wind farm, the first of its kind in the country, to be constructed in Nantucket Sound. The project has been controversial and has encountered a lot of opposition from Cape Cod residents. The purpose of the Public Hearing was to allow the public to voice their opinions on the plan.

People started showing up as early as 1:00 p.m. to stand in line to sign up to speak at the event. Some of the notable attendees included Barbara J. Hill, Executive Director of Clean Power Now, members of MASPIRG at UMB and students from Boston Latin, all of whom were in support of Cape Wind. The whole event was filmed for a Rebirth Productions documentary. The online publication, NewEngland.com, was also there to cover the story.

However, not everyone was there to support the project as many Cape Cod residents, some dressed in flamboyant and outrageous costumes, were there to protest against it. Oftentimes Cape residents who are opposed to the project are viewed by many as rich people who are worried about having wind turbines ruin their view. In reality, they are for the most part average middle-class people who are worried about their region, the local fishing industry, tourism and public safety. They support the fight against global warming, but they don’t agree with a plan that comes with negative repercussions. Those against having the wind farm in Nantucket Sound want other options, ideas or alternatives, and they want to come up with a proposal that everyone agrees with.