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 According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), if just 3
of the 50 states turned to wind power, it would be enough to power the entire
nation. In New York
State, the North Creek region of the Adirondacks
has become a center of controversy regarding this source of "green energy". A
proposal for the construction of 10 wind turbines has split residents,
landowners, and lovers of the Adirondacks.
This mountainous region of northern New
York has 3000 ponds, 2000 miles of hiking trails, and
nearly 100 campgrounds.
The proposed Barton project borders the Gore Mountain Ski
Area, more specifically the backside of the mountain. The land behind Gore Mountain
used to be home to the Barton Mines Company, LLC. This land is partially zoned for
Industrial
Use and the rest is for Resource Management. Because the land was
previously used as a mining site, there is already a road and power lines
running up to the proposed site. Unlike any other wind project constructed or
under review in New York
State, the Barton project
wouldn't be in a residential area.
The proposed wind turbines would be 400 ft tall and buried
35+ feet below the ground. They would operate at 15 - 18 revolutions per minute,
depending on the wind-speed. In simple terms, wind power is derived from the
natural occurrence of wind. For these massive turbines to run there must be a
constant wind speed of 10 mph. The Barton site reportedly has an average wind speed
of 18 mph. According to the Adirondack Wind Energy Park, a group that favors
the proposed project, the 10 proposed turbines could produce up to 30 MW of
power, enough to supply over half of the homes in Warren County, a 2,413 km2
area with a population of 60,000+. The website also claims that this would be
the equivalent of taking 11,000 automobiles off the road.
Much of the controversy surrounding the proposed Adirondack Wind Energy
Park is focused on the
visual obstruction of the turbines. Those in favor of the Adirondack
wind project argue that although there would be some visual obstruction, it would
symbolize the region's movement towards "green power". Not only are wind
turbines seen as being a positive symbol, but many people argue that there are already
visual obstructions from the ski area itself. These obstructions include ski
trails, snowmaking equpiment, and ski lifts. The Adirondack Park Agency (APA),
manager of the largest publicly protected area in the contiguous United States,
is being urged to move forward with this project. Still, the verdict it is out
on whether the project will be implemented or not.
I'm curious to know how this is going to turn out. I once saw
a television interview with interviewing Bill McKibben, an author, biology
professor, and environmental activist, about whether this project was
necessary. His argument was that if we don't go forward with this
project, global warming will eventually kill the same land that people are
fighting to save.
It had been rumored that the Adirondack Park
is used as a model for maintaining wilderness areas across the world. If the Adirondacks move forward with the Barton project, do you
think that other parks will be more likely to follow?
If the Adirondack Wind Energy proposal is rejected, I
wonder:
- Will
changes in climate impact skiing?
- Will
it effect stream-flow for kayaking, canoeing, or rafting?
- Will
animals and unique Adirondack vegetation
be compromised?
So, what do you
think?
http://www.apa.state.ny.us/Property_Owners/LandUse.html
http://www.adirondackwind.com/may09wnbz.html
http://www.adirondackwind.com/about.html
http://www.adirondackwind.com/qa.html
http://www.apa.state.ny.us/About_Park/index.html
http://visitadirondacks.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_County,_New_York
http://www.energy.gov/
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Re: The Adirondack Wind Energy Park
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