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Help Stop Dirty Garbage Incinerator in the Finger Lakes

Call Today!

With the budget finalized, it's time for the Governor to sign the Finger Lakes Community Preservation Act of 2019 into law.  This bill would prohibit the construction of garbage incinerators within the Finger Lakes Watershed.

Deborah Goldberg Environmental Stewardship Scholarship

The Deborah Goldberg Environmental Stewardship Scholarship will be awarded annually to a Finger Lakes High School Senior who is pursuing a career in Environmental Law. 

A Dirty Waste—How Renewable Energy Policies Have Financed the Unsustainable Waste-to-Energy Industry

The end of the 20th Century saw a major shift in the United States’ approach to energy policy. After decades focused on fossil fuel production, the country began to realize that renewable sources of energy were the way of the future. Governments relied on both mandates and tax incentives to encourage the use of energy from sources like solar and wind power. Waste- to-Energy (“WTE”) power is another form of energy production that is classified as renewable. This Note summarizes the WTE pro- cess and the laws that allowed it to grow, argues that WTE is not economical- ly sound or environmentally sustainable, and proposes legislative changes to prevent more harm from WTE in the future.

Seneca Lake Guardian

The Eyes, Ears and Voice Fighting for Clean Water

Waterkeeper Alliance, a global movement uniting more than 270 Waterkeeper organizations and affiliates, recently approved a new affiliate, Seneca Lake Guardian. Joseph M Campbell and Yvonne Taylor of Gas Free Seneca are excited to extend their efforts as the Seneca Lake Guardians to protect and preserve Seneca Lake, one of New York's Finger Lakes, by combining their firsthand knowledge of the watershed with an unwavering commitment to the rights of the community.

Hidden emissions

A story from the Netherlands
Case Study

Although presented as state of the art, the youngest incinerator in the Netherlands is far from a clean: long-term tests reveal emissions of dioxin, furan and persistent organic pollutants far beyond the limits.

The case of the REC plant raises important questions for future policy-making concerning waste incineration and its potential effects on public health and the environment.

Letter to Tompkins County

Re: Cayuga Power Plant

Seneca Lake Guardian’s mission is to promote sustainable energy, increase investment in water supply/sewer systems, and to challenge destructive power plants, reckless development and decrepit infrastructure around Seneca Lake and throughout the Finger Lakes Region. As such, we write to urge you to adopt Resolution A, which asks the DEC to categorically deny Cayuga's application to convert to fracked gas, asks the Governor to provide support for transition to renewable energy, acknowledges that Cayuga’s proposal will result in significant environmental impacts, and calls on the DEC to require Cayuga to submit a full Environmental Impact Statement.  

Judge Hears Lawsuits Against Romulus by Incinerator Corporation Circular enerG

Reserves Decisions on all motions

Waterloo, NY- In a packed courtroom, the Honorable Judge Doyle heard two Article 78 proceedings filed against the Town of Romulus by garbage incinerator applicant Circular enerG.

Judge reserves decisions on Romulus incinerator cases

WATERLOO — After listening to oral arguments for about an hour Friday, state Supreme Court Justice Daniel Doyle reserved decisions on two Article 78 proceedings initiated by the company interested in building a trash-burning incinerator in Romulus.

Lawsuits addressed in Romulus trash incinerator hearing

WATERLOO, N.Y (WENY) -- In the Seneca County Courthouse Friday morning, Circular EnerG and the Town of Romulus voiced their sides regarding a potential trash incinerator to coming to the town, at the former Seneca Army Depot. The hearing addressed two lawsuits filed against Romulus by the Rochester-based company challenging a zoning determination, and the town's revised zoning laws. For Circular EnerG, it hopes to come out on top after the ruling. 

INCINERATORS IN TROUBLE

What Are The Problems With Waste Incineration?

Waste incineration is a flawed approach that is expensive, polluting, and inefficient; aging incinerators are causing trouble with toxic emissions, odor, fires, financial insecurity, and environmental injustice.

Watch: The Environmental Impacts of Crypto Mining

Crypto mining is worsening the climate crisis. We discuss how and why we won’t let the cryptocurrency industry mine our future for profit.More Info

BREAKING: NYS Senate Passes First in the Nation Cryptomining Moratorium

Watch the Press Conference

We're excited to announce that the NY Senate passed the crypto moratorium bill at 2:00 am today. This was despite the fact that the pro crypto lobby spent millions to oppose it.  A very heartfelt THANK YOU to all who put effort into this victory!!! More Info

Cryptocurrency critics angry at Hochul over punting air pollution permit decision

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has announced it would delay a decision for a second time on whether to approve a critical air pollution permit renewal for a controversial cryptocurrency mining operation on the shores of Seneca Lake.More Info

Seneca Lake Guardian Releases TV Spots

Engages Finger Lakes Residents In Fight For Bitcoin Mining Moratorium

FINGER LAKES, NY (02/14/2022) (readMedia)-- Today, Seneca Lake Guardian released a short ad on cryptocurrency that will air on local channels in the Finger Lakes region, educating Finger Lakes residents about the dangers of the Bitcoin mining industry and encouraging them to get involved in the fight to stop unchecked, climate-killing Bitcoin mining.More Info

Crypto: Climate Change Accelerator, Capitalist Con

WATCH: System Change Not Climate Change Webinar

What the frack is cryptocurrency, anyway? Join us for a critical evaluation...who loves it, what it is, when and where it may be coming, why it's growing so spectacularly, and how it impacts climate.More Info

Geneva, NY Press Conference, end of public comment period for DEC Title V Air Permit for Greenidge

Watch environmental groups from across NY State mark the end of the public comment period for DEC's hearing on Greenidge's Title V Air PermitMore Info

Albany, NY - Press Conference , End of Public Comment for Title V for Greenidge

Watch environmental groups from across New York State mark the end of the public comment period for DEC hearing on Greenidge Title V Air PermitMore Info

Greenidge Bitcoin Mining Expansion

Background

Greenidge is an old coal power plant with an already bad environmental history. Once mothballed, it was converted to a gas fired plant for use as a “peaker plant”- toonlybe used when excess energy was needed by the public, and not run continually. Now, its out of state owners at Atlas Holdings want to expand operations for a privately owned bitcoin operation which would consume enough power to fuel 93,000 homes. That’s bigger than 2 of Amazon’s immense data centers.

More Info