Abstract
The purpose of this report is to analyze the potential adverse effects of the Cape Wind Energy Project on historic properties under the Criteria of Adverse Effect (36 CFR Part 800.5(a)(1)) for compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). The report contains information provided by the Minerals Management Service (MMS) and references field surveys conducted by PAL and a Determination of Eligibility made by the Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places (NPS), in addition to summary analysis provided by EM&A.
The MMS, in applying the Criteria of Adverse Effect (36 CFR Part 800.5(a)(1)), initiates further consultation with the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) at the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC), the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) and Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe for the purpose of resolving the adverse effects described in this Finding of Adverse Effect (FAE) related to the construction, operation, and decommissioning of the Cape Wind Energy Project pursuant to 36 CFR 800.5(d)(2). The proposed project will have an indirect adverse visual effect for the 25-year life of the project on twenty-eight above-ground historic properties, and will impact the culture and the traditional religious and ceremonial practices of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) and Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe (collectively, the Wampanoag Tribes). This includes visual intrusion into six specific Traditional Cultural Properties (TCPs) and physical intrusion into one TCP identified to the MMS by the Wampanoag Tribes.