Depending on what side you're on, Rep. Edward Markey's recent endorsement of a controversial offshore wind farm off the Massachusetts coast is either a boon or a bane. But what's certain is that it's a sign the political winds are shifting more than two months after the death of Sen. Edward Kennedy.

The beloved -- and influential -- Democrat had staunchly opposed the Cape Wind project, which would erect 130 wind turbines a few miles off Nantucket Sound, the backdrop of the Kennedy family vacation compound. The wind farm has also faced opposition from Rep. Bill Delahunt (D), whose district includes the sound. Sen. John Kerry (D) still hasn't taken a stand, nor has Sen. Paul Kirk (D), who is filling Kennedy's seat until a January special election. Kirk's office said in a statement that he believes the administration should implement a national ocean policy with zoning requirements before "green-lighting major developments in such sensitive areas."

Markey (D) had been silent himself until last week, when he wrote a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar urging him to approve the project before the U.N. climate change negotiations next month in Copenhagen. "Approving the Cape Wind project as the nation's first commercial offshore wind project before the start of the U.N. conference would send a strong message to international negotiators about the United States' commitment to developing sources of clean energy and reducing global warming pollution," Markey wrote.

Markey's endorsement comes after the state's top historic preservation officer ruled that Nantucket Sound is eligible for a listing on the National Register of Historic Places, a ruling that Gov. Deval Patrick (D) criticized. It's one more episode in the confluence of events that have put Cape Wind back on the political radar.

But activists on both sides of the debate agreed that the man who isn't there still casts a long shadow.

"Certainly, Senator Kennedy -- as powerful and effective as he was -- people were deferring to him. This was his backyard, literally and figuratively," said Barbara Hill, executive director of Clean Power Now, the group spearheading the advocacy efforts for the project. "Out of respect for him, Markey and Kerry have deferred to his opinion on this. And now that he's no longer with us, maybe they feel that they can relook at this."

Audra Parker, chief operating officer of the Alliance To Protect Nantucket Sound, which opposes the wind farm, conceded that Kennedy was "clearly our most significant champion." She fell short of saying, though, that the project would move forward because other key lawmakers are no longer influenced by the late senator's opposition: "If the project decision is made on its merits and not on politics, it won't go through."

Hill said it would only be natural for Markey's endorsement to influence Kerry. "They are leading the charge on climate change legislation in the House and Senate. They are consulting with each other on where we need to go on climate legislation," Hill said. "I can't imagine they haven't been discussing this. It's in their own back yard."

Parker maintained that the ruling by the historical preservation officer should affect Kerry's position more than Markey's endorsement.

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