Windmills of controversy
Albany Times Union
May 22, 2005
The benefits of generating green power in the Adirondacks outweigh the drawbacks
If there's one topic on which environmentalists are likely to agree, it's the promise of so-called green power. Indeed, when
Gov. Pataki proposed to have New York use renewable sources, such as wind and solar, to generate 25 percent of the state's
energy needs, the environmental community was quick to applaud him.
That's as it should be. But now comes a controversy over green power that has needlessly divided environmentalists. At issue
is whether to allow up to 10 windmills on land in North Creek, Warren County, inside the Adirondack Park.
The project, which needs state and Adirondack Park Agency approval, would be adjacent to the Gore Mountain ski area, and is as
unique as it is ideal for windmills. It already has an access road, for example, as well as a high voltage line. As an added
plus, the site was once a garnet mine and is zoned for industrial use. Most important, the winds blow strong enough, and
regularly enough, to generate substantial energy -- enough, in fact, to power the equivalent of more than half the 25,726
homes in Warren County.
Despite these advantages, some environmentalists view the windmills as a blot on the Adirondack Park's pristine vistas, and
fear the North Creek project could open the way for many more. But the answer to that is clear enough: The state should
designate which areas of New York are suitable for windmills, and which are incompatible with the environment.
Still other environmentalists believe the Adirondack park should be true to its mission of keeping the wilderness free of
humankind's imprint. But that's the point. Humans have already scarred the Adirondacks. It has been going on for years as
smokestack pollutants from Midwestern coal-fired power plants drift eastward and descend in the form of acid rain, killing
lakes and forests in the Adirondacks at an alarming rate.
True enough, 10 windmills in Warren County won't be enough to replace our dependence on fossil fuels. But they would send
a signal that New York is serious about green power.
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