Kerry foe rips his energy bid

15th April 2008

Kerry foe rips his energy bid

Ogonowski: Senator’s dragged heels on renewable resources

Ogonowski says Kerry has shown little leadership on alternative energy in his 24 years in the Senate.

“Senator Kerry can’t even take a position on Cape Wind,” said Ogonowski, who unsuccessfully challenged Nikki Tsongas for the Fifth Congressional District seat last year and now is running against Kerry.

Ogonowski was reacting to a speech Kerry gave to Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce members yesterday. The state’s junior senator called on Massachusetts to take the lead in alternative energy development, an increasingly common theme among Bay State politicians.

“We’ve got the ability in this state to create the next new thing and if it comes out of Massachusetts, we will benefit,” said Kerry. “And we have to do this, because we have no alternative.”

Ogonowski has thrown his support behind Cape Wind, a $900 million project in Nantucket Sound, which would be the first offshore wind-energy plant in the United States.

“Wind power can power Senator Kerry when he windsurfs or sails, but he’s not sure he wants wind power to power a generator,” quipped Ogonowski.

Kerry spokeswoman Brigid O’Rourke defended Kerry’s wait-and-see stance.

“The Cape Wind project is the first project of its size and scale, and it’s sure to set a precedent for similar projects in the coming years, which is why we need to get it right,” O’Rourke said.

Noting the brain power at area universities, Kerry told the chamber audience “the next Googles” are in the energy sector. He said alternative energy products can provide a wide range of jobs, from Ph.D.s perfecting solar panels to manufacturing and construction work.

“This is one area of job development staring us in the face, but we haven’t taken and run with it,” said Kerry. “We need to let the entrepreneurs take over, the marketplace take over.”