Green Jobs in Rhode Island Created in Wind Power Deal
Wednesday, April 7th, 2010The state of Rhode Island has embarked on massive study to develop off-shore wind farms, a move that will spur on the creation of many green jobs in Rhode Island.
New York Times reports that Rhode Island has forged ahead with its own plans to convert some of the state’s power source to wind. They aim to outpace and outsource Massachusetts, their neighbor to the north, which in turn has created a wind-power rivalry between the two states.
According to the Mother Nature Network, Rhode Island has invested more than $8 million of state’s money on research on birds, fish, habitats, and fisherman’s requirements, as well as areas important to Indian tribes. This is a marked departure from Massachusetts’s plan, which has put the state’s wind program in the hands of a private investor called Cape Wind.
According to the New York Times, instead of having a private developer dominate the research on potential sites, as Massachusetts has, Rhode Island embarked on a three-year scientific study, to be completed in August, of all waters within 30 miles of its coast. It has spent more than $8 million on research into bird migration patterns, wildlife habitats, fish distribution, fishermen’s needs and areas that might be of cultural importance to Indian tribes.