Some 61 per cent of residents of Cape Cod and the Islands favor the Cape Wind project, according to a major new scientific survey of 501 residents.

So said the press release put out yesterday by the Civil Society Institute, which describes itself as a nonprofit and nonpartisan think tank in Newton. The release made it look like a decisive verdict in favor of the wind power project, delivered in the court of public opinion.

Scott Bermudes jealously guards his privacy.

Rising world oil prices have blown a million dollar hole in the budget of the Steamship Authority and forced the boat line to refigure its budget for a second time.

However, governors balked at management’s advice that they should immediately consider fare increases to cover the extra projected cost, opting instead to put off any revenue decisions until January.

If the price of oil remains high, governors will consider measures that include a fuel surcharge.

Middle Line Road is not much of a road. But it’s a heck of a legal problem, as quickly became evident when the controversy over its 270-year history and uncertainty over its future use landed in the Dukes County superior court in Edgartown this week.

The essence of the case is simple enough.

The Hall family, which owns land alongside the road, wants to improve it. To that end, they engaged contractors to cut trees and widen it.

Emily Bramhall had already replaced the incandescent light bulbs at home and in her store with low-watt fluoresecents, helped her daughter buy a hybrid car and taken other steps to reduce her carbon footprint. Now she wanted to go further, and start making her own electricity.

But, as Kermit the Frog once sang, it’s not that easy being green, and Ms. Bramhall’s plan to install a wind turbine on her Chilmark property met some resistance before the town zoning board of appeals this week.

Steamship Authority governors will consider a reworked budget for next year, possibly including some fare increases to offset high fuel costs, when they meet on the Vineyard next week.

A draft budget at last month’s meeting was sent back to the drawing board after doubts were expressed about fuel cost estimates. The document assumed oil prices of $70 per barrel in 2008, about $10 lower than world prices at the time.