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Seneca Lake Guardian, A Waterkeeper Affiliate
Seneca Lake Guardian, A Waterkeeper AffiliateMar 15, 2025 @ 9:04am
“This fight is about more than one landfill. We need a statewide shift in how New York manages waste. Landfills must be a last resort, not a default solution. The state must fully embrace waste reduction and diversion strategies, like expanded composting and recycling, to reduce the volume of waste entering the system in the first place.

This movement is powered by everyday people. Their voices, their stories, and their relentless advocacy are proof of what’s possible when a community stands together.

We are fighting not just for Seneca County, but for every New Yorker’s constitutional right to clean air, clean water, and a healthful environment. We won’t stop until communities, not corporations, decide what their future looks like.

And, in this time of political disruption and upheaval, where the new administration is stripping away many environmental protections, people find it hard to keep fighting. Our message to anyone feeling despair right now is that, despite all odds, we stand on the side of right, and we must fight even harder now than ever. As scientist, author, and environmental champion Dr. Sandra Steingraber once said, “Now is the time to choose your instrument in this symphony and play it with all your might.” We hope you’ll pick up that instrument now, whichever one you can play, and join us.”
Seneca Lake Guardian, A Waterkeeper Affiliate
Seneca Lake Guardian, A Waterkeeper AffiliateMar 13, 2025 @ 3:12pm
“By consuming an immense amount of energy, cryptomining puts pressure on our energy grid and raises utility costs for everyone, while at the same time significantly harming our environment. For example, it has an intense, constant demand for electricity, and also consumes more water annually than all the residents of Manchester, Concord, and Nashua combined.

The nuisance noise left one local commissioner in Limestone, Tennessee, saying they have “never regretted a vote like this one. I sure wish I could take it back.”

From raising our costs, to harming our environment, to disturbing our neighborhoods, cryptomining is bad for any state that deregulates it.”
Seneca Lake Guardian, A Waterkeeper Affiliate
Seneca Lake Guardian, A Waterkeeper AffiliateMar 12, 2025 @ 5:54pm
Stop Elon Musk from launching his own currency! Easy sign on!

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/no-on-the-genius-act-and-stable-act/?link_id=3&can_id=78b61e19eb06143bac9b77add72cc6a9&source=email-stop-elon-musk-from-launching-his-own-currency-2&email_referrer=email_2653197&email_subject=stop-elon-musk-from-launching-his-own-currency

Congress is fast-tracking the GENIUS Act and the STABLE Act, two dangerous bills that would let Big Tech and Wall Street create their own stablecoins with minimal oversight. This legislation would allow Elon Musk, Meta, or Amazon to become their own private banks, controlling digital money, collecting vast amounts of personal financial data, and even destabilizing the economy.

These bills are a dream come true for crypto speculators and corporate giants. They would allow companies like X (formerly Twitter) to launch their own stablecoins with no meaningful federal oversight posing massive risks to financial stability, consumer privacy, and fair competition.

If a major tech-issued stablecoin failed, it could trigger a market crash that would impact everyone, whether or not you’ve ever used crypto.

At the same time, crypto executives are actively working to weaken financial regulators and dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the very agency that would protect people from payment fraud.

These bills also completely fail to protect consumers. Unlike traditional banks, stablecoin issuers would not have to follow longstanding guidelines that ensure banks serve the communities they profit from.

There are no clear rules for how stablecoin issuers must handle redemptions meaning they could impose excessive fees, long delays, or outright refuse to let people cash out. This could leave everyday consumers holding the bag in the next crypto crash.

The crypto industry is pouring money into lobbying to get these bills passed. But we know what happens when regulators give Wall Street and Silicon Valley too much leeway working people pay the price when their risky schemes collapse.
Seneca Lake Guardian, A Waterkeeper Affiliate
Seneca Lake Guardian, A Waterkeeper AffiliateMar 7, 2025 @ 3:46pm
STATEMENT FROM NATIONAL COALITION AGAINST CRYPTOMINING ON TRUMP CRYPTO SUMMIT

The National Coalition Against Cryptomining (NCAC) is deeply concerned about President Trump’s plans to create a strategic Bitcoin reserve and Digital Asset stockpile, and we stand against the unchecked expansion of bitcoin mining across the country.

It’s imperative that the severe economic, environmental, health, and community harms of bitcoin mining to everyday Americans be front and center in any conversations around cryptocurrency stockpiles in this country. Bitcoin mining is an extremely energy- and water-intensive process, accounting for up to 2.3% of our country’s entire annual energy consumption and, as a result, costs Americans up to $1 billion per year in higher electricity costs and hurts U.S. businesses nationwide.

The bitcoin mining industry, which operates in the shadows and remains largely unregulated, is increasingly targeting American communities with deceptive practices.

We urge President Trump and his Administration to take into consideration the detrimental impacts of embracing bitcoin mining – the quest to make our country the “crypto capital of the world” will undoubtedly come with unacceptable costs to the well-being of everyday Americans. The federal government must prioritize the protection of its citizens and our resources over the profit of this industry.

https://www.nationalcoalitionagainstcryptomining.com/
Seneca Lake Guardian, A Waterkeeper Affiliate
Seneca Lake Guardian, A Waterkeeper AffiliateMar 4, 2025 @ 12:17pm
https://www.fltimes.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/letter-parents-sound-off-on-seneca-meadows-landfill/article_f01dda56-eef9-11ef-a7df-9b56bac77d9f.html

To the Editor:

The future of our community — and our children — is being buried under the weight of the Seneca Meadows Landfill. As longtime residents of Seneca Falls and Waterloo, we have witnessed firsthand the grave consequences of living in the shadow of New York State’s largest landfill. With the proposed expansion of Seneca Meadows, these impacts threaten to escalate, jeopardizing our children’s health, their education, and the vitality of our community.

The landfill’s proximity to our schools is alarming. Toxic airborne particles infiltrate classrooms, playgrounds, and athletic fields, putting our children’s health at risk every day. Numerous studies have linked such exposure to higher cancer rates — we are concerned about our family. The New York State Department of Health’s decision to stop publishing Seneca County’s cancer statistics speaks volumes about the severity of the problem. Are we willing to stand by and let our children’s futures be compromised?

The effects are being felt now. In Waterloo, students and teachers alike report frequent headaches, nausea, and difficulty breathing on days when the landfill stench seeps into classrooms. During state testing last spring, the air was so polluted that students struggled to concentrate, and teachers could barely carry on with lessons. Some children have had to leave school early with headaches and nausea on days when the odors are particularly awful. After-school activities, including sports, are similarly disrupted, with children forced to endure harmful fumes while playing and practicing. In Seneca Falls, landfills odors are being smelled both inside and outside the classroom. This is not the safe, supportive environment our children deserve.

And yet, Seneca Meadows’ operators seem unfazed. While they tout themselves as community partners, their primary concern is profit, and they haven’t had enough of making our towns their dumping ground. Seneca Meadows is pushing to extend its operations until 2040 and expand by another 47 acres. If we sit back and let them have it, the consequences will be devastating. Families will leave, teachers will seek employment elsewhere, our air and water quality will suffer from irreparable harm, businesses will struggle, and our community’s character will erode.

This is not the future we want for Seneca Falls and Waterloo. Our children deserve clean air to breathe, safe schools to learn in, and a community that prioritizes their health and well-being over corporate profits. It’s time for our leaders to take a stand. We ask fellow concerned parents, the school board, town leaders, and state officials to publicly oppose the landfill’s expansion and call for Seneca Meadows to be shut down once and for all.

The stakes are too high for silence. Our children’s health, their education, and their futures are on the line. We cannot afford to be complacent. Together, we must stop the expansion of Seneca Meadows and reclaim a cleaner, healthier future for our community.

58 CONCERNED PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS OF SENECA FALLS AND WATERLOO STUDENTS

Joe and Sarah Mull, parents of Seneca Falls students

Ross and Hilary Reinwald, parents of Seneca Falls students

Chris and Joanna Warrick, parents of Seneca Falls students

Marie and John Leo, grandparents of Seneca Falls students

John and Linda McCully, grandparents of a Seneca Falls student

Dan & Kathy Gotham, grandparents of Seneca Falls students and retired teacher

Michael and Michelle Grillone, parents of Waterloo students

Michael and Cindy French, grandparents of Waterloo students

Alison Childers DelFavero and Keith Del Favero, parents of Seneca Falls students

Kathleen Marsella, grandparent of a Seneca Falls student

Christine and David Edson, concerned Seneca Falls parents

Gabe Holden and Ciara Decker-Holden, concerned Seneca Falls parents

Kate Spahn, parent of Seneca Falls students

Stefania Uticone, parent of Seneca Falls students

Angela Reilly, parent of Seneca Falls students

Danielle and Dylan Paolicelli, parents of Seneca Falls students

Erin Bonafiglia and John Hurlburt, parents of Seneca Falls students

Samantha and Patrick Prayne, parents of Seneca Falls teenagers and lifelong residents

Brandon and Leah Bardo, parents of Seneca Falls students

Melissa and Eric Koepke, educators and parents in Seneca Falls

Adam and Marisa Simolo, parents of Seneca Falls students

Teresa & Kyle Robinson, concerned parents of Waterloo students

Julie and Jim Uticone, grandparents of Seneca Falls students

Deborah Jones, Seneca Falls resident

Mariangela Sandroni, Seneca Falls resident

Erica and Miles Sinicropi, parents of Seneca Falls students

Ginny and John Brady, Seneca Falls Town residents

Luke and Jessica Lorenzetti, parents of Seneca Falls students

Sandra Wilson, grandparent of Seneca Falls students

William Wilson, grandparent of Seneca Falls students

Christine and Richard Paolicelli, Seneca Falls Taxpayers and concerned citizens

From Bluesky

Welcome to Seneca Lake Guardian

Our Lakes Need a Good Guardian

The Leadership Team of Gas Free Seneca, responsible for winning the battle against a proposed gas storage and transport hub in the Finger Lakes, has formed Seneca Lake Guardian, A Waterkeeper Alliance Affiliate, the only organization dedicated to actively working to protect the Finger Lakes from dirty industrial projects that could threaten the health of our lakes, our rural community character, the Finger Lakes Brand, or the livelihoods of the small business owners who depend on the lakes for their success. Our lakes are at risk. We need a good Guardian to protect them.

Seneca Lake Guardian is a New York State Not-for-Profit Corporation with 501(c)(3) and is dedicated to preserving and protecting the health of the Finger Lakes, its residents and visitors, its rural community character, and its agricultural and tourist related businesses through public education, citizen participation, engagement with decision makers, and networking with like-minded organizations.