In his Aug. 18 column, Fred LeBrun missed an opportunity to advance the public discussion about energy and the environment, and to provide some independent insight.
Instead of applauding the Adirondack Park Agency for its unanimous decision to allow preliminary field survey work for a green energy project, he unfortunately chose to comment from a narrow and parochial perspective.
LeBrun would like people to believe that the concept for Adirondack Wind Energy Park is controversial. In fact, it is supported by more than 20 regional town and county governments, state and federal elected leaders, environmental groups (including Greenpeace USA), respected environmentalists and area newspapers (including the Times Union).
In characterizing the Adirondack Park as "forever wild wilderness" and stating that wind turbines will set an "awful precedent,' LeBrun disregards the park's many facets and ignores long-standing state mandates for balanced land use within the park.
The Adirondack Park includes wonderful large wilderness areas that benefit wildlife, flora and recreationists, but it is also home to 135,000 year-round residents who need housing, jobs and electricity. Outside of the park's protected wild forests and wilderness areas, but still within the park itself, are areas where permitted forestry, mining, farming and power generation activities take place today.
Adirondack Wind Energy Park represents an opportunity to uphold the Adirondack Park's land use standards and set the bar high for wind power development. The proposed site has strong winds, pre-existing infrastructure (roads and a power line), industrial zoning and limited visual impact. The site is directly adjacent to the Gore Mountain Ski Area and in close proximity to the hamlet of North Creek. To our knowledge, there are very few, if any, other locations within the Adirondack Park (indeed, in the Northeast) that offer such a great opportunity for clean sustainable power generation with such little impact.
Lastly, it is disappointing that LeBrun disregards the larger context in which AWEP has been proposed. Ignored are serious environmental concerns about acid rain, mercury in our lakes and the looming effects of global warming. Overlooked is our national addiction to fossil fuels and the enormous cost of securing and protecting its overseas sources. The wind turbines of AWEP will not "trump the natural world around them," as LeBrun writes, in fact they will help preserve it.
Once additional wind resource assessment is completed, a preliminary design is created and the project's economics can be assessed, AWEP will likely go through the Adirondack Park Agency's conceptual review process. Based on a holistic review of what is known, AWEP will have no undue impact on the Adirondack Park, will provide significant benefits to Adirondack communities and will help make New York a leader in the journey toward energy independence and a cleaner, healthier environment.
TIM CONBOY
Adirondack Wind Partners
The Barton Group
Lake George