As Gov. Maura Healey visited the state’s oldest ice cream shop on the Massachusetts Ice Cream Trail, she also clashed with a swarm of protesters on wind energy, housing and migrants.

“First of all, as your governor, I am not going to do anything that puts residents at harm. I am not going to do that. OK?” Healey told roughly 30 Cape Cod residents outside of Four Seas Ice Cream on Wednesday.

The group, mostly from Barnstable, greeted the governor at the 90-year-old ice cream shop in Centerville with signs that read “Protect our beaches” and “Save Dowses – No ‘high voltage’ transmission cables in our community – Save our people – Save our water supply.”

Barnstable has become the epicenter of the Massachusetts wind farm industry, with three projects either under construction or consideration.

Healey, before heading into the iconic Four Seas, confronted the protesters. She explained how she knows “so many” of them support the move to renewables, “away from dirty fossil fuels that create all sorts of health challenges.”

“In order for that to be successful,” the governor said, “we’ve got to figure out a way to bring that energy that’s offshore onto shore through the transmission lines, through the substations, so they can power homes and businesses, so they can do so in a cleaner way, and so ultimately, they can reduce your bills.”

A proposed 800-megawatt wind farm in the Nantucket Sound that would feature miles of transmission cables on the ocean floor, under Craigville Beach and the streets of Centerville, is at the center of a lawsuit slated to head to trial later this month.

Avangrid, the developer, is also focused on developing a 1,200-megawatt wind farm that would deliver power through transmission lines at Dowses Beach in Osterville, another Barnstable village.

The proposals coincide with a project connected to Vineyard Wind 1 bringing 800 megawatts of electricity ashore at nearby Covell Beach. Vineyard Wind 1 is the same wind farm off Nantucket where a turbine blade failure has stirred controversy and a debris mess.

“Now, I understand you’re very concerned about them going under the beach,” Healey told the protesters. “These transmission lines have been thoroughly vetted by federal agencies. … I am confident in their safety. The radiation levels are about what they are for a television.”

That drew skepticism, with multiple protesters saying, “No.”

Healey then compared the push for renewable energy to the state’s housing crisis, calling on “every community … to step up and do its part.”

“It’s part of the housing issue that we face, we’ve got a shortage of housing,” the governor said. “Especially down here on the Cape, you can’t even get workers, everybody’s living … I know you know this but you also know.”

A protester chimed in mid-sentence, saying “Stop housing illegals.” Healey quickly shifted her attention, responding “Actually, you know, I’m not. They’re here lawfully and actually…”

That prompted multiple protesters and the governor to speak over each other before Healey touted her administration’s work on housing, pointing specifically to efforts for veterans.

“There’s a lot of misinformation,” the governor said. “As somebody who just signed the most comprehensive veterans legislation the other day in the state’s history, I also put $20 million to end veterans’ homelessness. I’m already housing veterans, we’ve got a bunch of housing for veterans.”

Barnstable resident Susanne Conley, running against state Rep. Kip Diggs for the 2nd Barnstable District, called on Healey to “fight as hard as she did as attorney general” to protect local beaches.

“They need to go somewhere else,” Conley said, prompting Healey to respond, “How many of you support wind and the move to renewables?” Some protesters raised their hands in support while others said, “Not in the ocean.”

Osterville resident Tom Scanlon raised various concerns including the size of the project, the source of the materials, the cost of decommissioning, and building a substation over an aquifer.

“It has just been shoved down our throats,” Scanlon told Healey. “It is not appropriate.”

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“I will continue the conversation,” Healey responded. “I will say that because of Massachusetts’ leadership in the climate space, in renewables, it’s the reason that Barnstable High School is getting the $42 million for the microgrid.”

Healey was referring to a $42.3 million federal award for Barnstable to install a “renewable-powered microgrid” at Barnstable High School. The project could include a “mix of solar canopies, rooftop solar, HVAC electrification, fleet charging, and battery storage.”

But some protesters said they don’t care about the endeavor. “That doesn’t matter,” one said. “If we don’t have water, we won’t have a high school.”