US lawmaker urges Cape Wind okay before Copenhagen

By Ayesha Rascoe

WASHINGTON, Nov 9 (Reuters) - The Obama administration should approve the massive Cape Wind electricity project off the coast of Massachusetts before international climate negotiations begin in December, a key lawmaker said on Monday.

Massachusetts Representative Edward Markey said moving ahead with the first major U.S. offshore wind farm would send a strong message to the climate change meeting in Copenhagen starting Dec. 7 about the U.S. commitment to clean energy.

"As the leading emitter of carbon pollution, the United States must take a leadership role within the international community," Markey, a Democrat, said in a letter to the Interior Department.

Markey's push for Cape Wind comes as the United States prepares for the meeting next month with officials from around the world to hash out a global agreement to lower greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming.

Although a climate bill co-sponsored by Markey narrowly passed the House this year, efforts to move a similar bill through the Senate have been delayed.

The Obama administration has touted the offshore wind as a potentially major source of clean electricity for the United States. But after years of state and federal review, Cape Wind continues to await approval.

Unveiled in 2001, the $1 billion Cape Wind project seemed to be on its way getting the green light after Interior's Minerals Management Service gave the proposal a favorable environmental review at the start of this year.

But months passed and no decision came.