About Gwendolyn Craig

Gwen is an award-winning journalist covering environmental policy for the Explorer since January 2020. She also takes photos and videos for the Explorer's magazine and website. She is a current member of the Legislative Correspondents Association of New York. Gwen has worked at various news outlets since 2015. Prior to moving to upstate New York, she worked for a D.C. Metro-area public relations firm, producing digital content for clients including the World Health Organization, the Low Income Investment Fund and Rights and Resources Initiative. She has a master's degree in journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. She has bachelor's degrees in English and journalism, with a concentration in ecology and evolutionary biology, from the University of Connecticut. Gwen is also a part-time figure skating coach. Contact her at (518) 524-2902 or gwen@adirondackexplorer.org. Sign up for Gwen’s newsletter here.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Joan Grabe says

    What else should we do with a Superfund site that is not usable for schools or housing ? A solar array that will produce a large amount of electricity is perfect for the site. I hope the APA agrees.

    • Pat Smith says

      None of these facilities produce what their maximum megawatt capacity is. Typically they average around 12-15% of capacity….which in this case would be about a whooping 3 megs.

  2. Mary says

    Leave the solar panels out pf the adirondacks, its beautiful as it is now,putting in solarpanels would take away the beauty. And when one takes pictures and they are in the photo it will look tacky. Dont destroy the beautiful adirondacks to ugly solar panels.

  3. Shawn Typhair says

    Who gets the electricity? Will it stay in the Clifton, Fine area? If not then I hope it can turn into a manufacturing site that supply jobs. If Peter Bauer and David Gibson approve the project then that should be a red flag to the people of the Adirondacks that the project is a sham

  4. Boreas says

    I am not a fan of large-scale wind or solar power generation within the Park. Abandoned mines, industrial areas, and Superfund sites need to be returned to a non-toxic natural state. I also feel adding additional 78k feet (14 miles) of transmission lines is not inconsequential, whether buried or not. Environmental engineering studies conducted by NYSERDA need to be corroborated independently. Large solar arrays are not benign entities to wildlife.

    While I see the reasoning behind finding an alternate use for an environmentally damaged industrial area, should the emphasis be on simply creating more energy likely be shipped out of the area? I would almost rather see the mine operating again – something that could perhaps help support the community directly with jobs. Isn’t that the idea of “industrial” areas within the Park – to support communities rather than downstate energy demands? We generate hydro energy already, and could generate even more with smart dam overhauls to better support aquatic life. To me, that is a better fit for the Park and its residents – especially if we keep the power within the Park. We should not be encouraging downstate energy use by using the Park as a wind/solar/hydro power reservoir. Let the mega-users produce their power in THEIR backyards, and cut down on building more and more long-distance transmission lines through sensitive habitat.

  5. Tom Paine says

    How about some windmills and solar stations offshore of Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, and the Hamptons first. Then we can discuss the Adirondacks.

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