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<div class=Section1>
<h1><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>March
31, 2005</span></font></b></h1>
<h1><b><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>For
Immediate Release</span></font></b></h1>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>Contacts</span></font></b><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>: Chris
Powicki, 508.362.9599, <a href="mailto:chrisp@weeinfo.com">chrisp@weeinfo.com</a></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> Megan Amsler, 508.457.7679, <a
href="mailto:meganams@reliance.org">meganams@reliance.org</a> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> Joan Muller, 508.457.0495 x107, <a
href="mailto:joan.muller@state.ma.us">joan.muller@state.ma.us</a> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>
<h1><b><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial'>“Beyond
</span></font></b><font face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial'>Cape</span></font><font
face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial'> </span></font><font face=Arial><span
style='font-family:Arial'>Wind</span></font><font face=Arial><span
style='font-family:Arial'>” Planning Process Launched; Public Asked to
Weigh In on Energy-Related Challenges and Opportunities Facing the Cape &
Islands </span></font></h1>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Participants in the Cape & Islands Renewable Energy
Collaborative (CIREC) are initiating coordinated community planning activities
geared toward managing and accelerating the local and regional transition to a
sustainable energy future. </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>“We suffer from high energy prices, we are vulnerable
to oil spills and other environmental problems, and we will experience the
brunt of future climate change,” says Chris Powicki, principal of Water
Energy & Ecology Information Services. “Individuals and organizations
should be collaborating to address these critical challenges, rather than
spending so much time and energy arguing about an offshore wind project over
which we have limited control.”</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Community planning activities will engage local and regional
stakeholder groups in characterizing the present energy situation, envisioning
the energy future, and working together to promote adoption of cleaner and
green supply and use options throughout </span></font><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Cape Cod</span></font><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>, </span></font><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Martha’s
Vineyard</span></font><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>, and </span></font><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Nantucket</span></font><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>“Energy shapes so many aspects of modern existence,
but it is rarely looked at from a holistic perspective,” says Megan
Amsler, executive director of Cape & Islands Self-Reliance.
“Comprehensive, inclusive, and transparent planning activities will help
inform decision-making on a full spectrum of energy-related issues, including
cost of living, air and water quality, economic development, affordable
housing, transportation, public health, village-centered growth, cultural
heritage, and sustainability.”</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>To jumpstart the process, CIREC participants have partnered
with representatives from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology-U.S.
Geological Survey Science Impact Collaborative (MUSIC) to create an on-line
survey. The survey is designed to encourage the public and other stakeholders
to weigh in on and prioritize energy-related issues. It may be accessed from
the home page of the Cape & Islands Energy Information Clearinghouse (<a
href="http://www.cirenew.info/">http://www.cirenew.info</a>) or directly from
the following URL: <a href="http://web.mit.edu/amostash/www/CIREC/SURVEY.htm">http://web.mit.edu/amostash/www/CIREC/SURVEY.htm</a>.
</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>The CIREC-MUSIC team has also invited local and regional
officials and representatives from environmental and business organizations,
state and federal agencies, energy companies, and other key stakeholder groups
to attend a mid-April meeting hosted by Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research
Reserve (WBNERR). Stakeholder opinions expressed through the survey and at the
meeting will guide the development of both a model of the Cape & Islands
energy economy and fact sheets characterizing the “true costs” of
the current energy situation. </span></font></p>
</div>
<font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><br
clear=all style='page-break-before:always'>
</span></font>
<div class=Section2>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>The model, to be created with support from MUSIC, will
illustrate how electricity and fuels are supplied to, purchased by, and used by
Cape & Islands consumers, and it will identify alternative energy options
consistent with the local resource base. It will also show the interconnections
among energy systems and diverse economic, environmental, and social issues. </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>The fact sheets, to be created with support from the
Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, will present scientific information on
the effects of the fossil-fuel-based energy economy on local and regional
concerns such as cost of living, business competitiveness, air pollution, eutrophication,
wildlife and habitat, health risks, and climate change. They will address
priority issues identified by stakeholders, and they will be researched,
written, reviewed, and validated through a joint fact-finding process to be
initiated at the mid-April meeting. </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>“The idea is to build consensus among local and
regional stakeholders on key issues and to identify critical knowledge
gaps,” says Joan Muller, education coordinator for WBNERR. “The
fact-based tools participants come up with through this collaborative process
will build a foundation for future community planning and outreach
activities.”</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'># # #</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>Cape & Islands Renewable Energy
Collaborative</span></font></b><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> brings together diverse individuals and
organizations with common interest in achieving a sustainable energy future,
both locally and globally. It is a nonprofit, participatory collaborative with
an overall objective of maximizing benefits and minimizing adverse impacts
associated with energy supply and use in the Cape & Islands region.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>Water Energy & Ecology Information
Services</span></font></b><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> (WEEinfo) is a research, communications, and planning firm
fostering understanding of the interdependencies between human society and
natural ecosystems.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>Cape & Islands Self-Reliance Corp</span></font></b><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>. is a
nonprofit membership organization promoting environmentally sound technologies
and sustainable practices through education, advocacy, and collective action.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>Waquoit</span></font></b><b><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'> </span></font></b><b><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:
bold'>Bay</span></font></b><b><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'> National Estuarine Research Reserve</span></font></b><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> (WBNERR)
advances understanding of natural estuarine and watershed-linked processes and
human influences on them to promote informed decision-making in coastal
communities. P</span></font><strong><b><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:normal'>art of the
National Estuarine Research Reserve System, WBNERR is co-funded and co-managed
by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Ocean and
Coastal Resource Management, Estuarine Reserves Division and by the
Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.</span></font></b></strong></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=2 color=navy face="Comic Sans MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:navy'>Laurie L.
Tompkins</span></font></b></strong></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Comic Sans MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:navy'>Event &
Volunteer Coordinator</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Comic Sans MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:navy'>Waquoit Bay
NERR</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Comic Sans MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:navy'>P.O. Box</span></font><font
size=2 color=navy face="Comic Sans MS"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:navy'> 3092</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Comic Sans MS"><span lang=FR
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:navy'>Waquoit, MA
02536</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Comic Sans MS"><span lang=FR
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:navy'>Tel.
508-457-0495 x108</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Comic Sans MS"><span lang=FR
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:navy'>Fax
617-727-5537</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><a href="http://www.waquoitbayreserve.org">www.waquoitbayreserve.org</a></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
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