Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said today he would support Cape Wind, the controversial offshore wind farm proposed for Nantucket Sound, but with a caveat.

"I favor a wind project somewhere in Massachusetts," Kerry said. "If the process decides that this is the one to be, I support moving forward."

By Friday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is expected to decide whether to greenlight the project, which has been tied up in the permitting process for almost a decade and would be the first offshore wind farm in the U.S.

One of the biggest sticking points in the proposal is whether or not the project could or should be moved to another part of Nantucket Sound. So Kerry's condition -- that he supports it if DOI approves it -- is significant.

At the same time, Kerry did underscore the importance of the project in the larger context of the offshore wind industry. "It's very important for the process to work its way forward," he said.

Kerry's silence on Cape Wind had not gone unnoticed by stakeholders on both sides of the issue, especially as many other Massachusetts politicians had made their positions known. Gov. Deval Patrick (D) and Rep. Edward Markey (D) are in favor; Sen. Scott Brown (R) and Rep. Bill Delahunt (D) are opposed, as was the late Sen. Edward Kennedy (D).

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