Dr. Marcus Fenwick

Laundered AcademicMedium activity

Senior fellow, Institute for Rural Energy Studies

Ithaca, NYFirst tracked February 27, 2018Institute for Rural Energy Studies

Holds a real doctorate in agronomy and a paid fellowship at the institute that publishes him. Submissions to boards omit the funding disclosure that the studies themselves carry in small print.

Free-market absolutistsCo-opted environmentalists

Recommended engagement strategy

Publish a same-week rebuttal with the funding disclosure attached, and ask the board to require source citation.

Laundered Academic profile: Supplies the citation that everyone else repeats. Attack the funding disclosure, not the person.

Open counter-measure playbook

Hearing appearances

Logged in minutes

Counties active

Ontario, Yates

Projects opposed

Solar & storage dockets

Funding received

$78K

3 traced inbound edges

Funding given

None

0 traced outbound edges

Arguments logged

Top: Ratepayer Cost

Where They OperateCounties with a tracked filing, appearance, or monitored channel, and the specific project dockets involved.Counties with a tracked filing, appearance, or monitored channel, and the specific project dockets involved.

Counties

Ontario6 ev.
Yates7 ev.
Seneca7 ev.
Steuben11 ev.

Project dockets

Canandaigua StorageOntario Co.NO DOSSIER
Benton SolarYates Co.NO DOSSIER
Prattsburgh SolarSteuben Co.NO DOSSIER
Ovid SolarSeneca Co.NO DOSSIER

View on county map

What They ArgueArgument classification from filings, testimony transcripts, and monitored posts. Counts are statements, not documents.Argument classification from filings, testimony transcripts, and monitored posts. Counts are statements, not documents.

Ratepayer Cost19 · 32.8%
Environmental Impact13 · 22.4%
Property Value Claims11 · 19%
Fire / Battery Safety9 · 15.5%
Other / Unknown6 · 10.3%

Most-repeated claim

“Ratepayers absorb the cost and the town inherits the cleanup.”

Who Funds ThemTraced grants, dues, contractor payments, and campaign contributions. Amounts come from 990 filings, grant letters, and NYS BOE data.Traced grants, dues, contractor payments, and campaign contributions. Amounts come from 990 filings, grant letters, and NYS BOE data.

Payments received

Open in funding network

Activity Log7 entriesChronological record assembled from hearing minutes, local law filings, 990 disclosures, and monitored channels.Chronological record assembled from hearing minutes, local law filings, 990 disclosures, and monitored channels.

Board minutes matchedMay 28, 2025Language in Canandaigua board minutes matched a submission filed on Canandaigua Storage.
Hearing appearanceMay 21, 2025Spoke for 6 minutes against Canandaigua Storage at the Canandaigua planning board.
Study entered into recordMay 9, 2025Cost and land-use study submitted to the Canandaigua board; funding disclosure omitted from the filing.
990 filing reviewedApr 24, 2025Amended Form 990 discloses new grants tied to Ontario County activity; original donor not named.
Payment disclosedApr 2, 2025Contractor payment from Institute for Rural Energy Studies covers the same period as testimony on Canandaigua Storage.
Channel monitoredMar 18, 2025Linked Ontario County group added to the monitor; 1874 members in its first month.
First tracked activityFeb 27, 2018Entered the monitor via a Ontario County record referencing Benton Solar.

Aliases & AffiliationsAlternate names seen in filings and the organizations this actor is formally or functionally tied to.Alternate names seen in filings and the organizations this actor is formally or functionally tied to.

Known aliases and filing names

M. Fenwick, PhD
Marcus A. Fenwick

Affiliations

Institute for Rural Energy Studies
State Policy Network (contributor)

Network position

Individual actor with 3 traced payment edges and a standing affiliation to Institute for Rural Energy Studies.