Archive Articles

Governor Cuomo Signs Legislation to Stop Waste Incinerators in the Finger Lakes

Romulus, NY – Two months after the New York State Senate and Assembly both unanimously passed the legislation to stop toxic incinerators in the Finger Lakes, Governor Cuomo has officially signed the Finger Lakes Community Preservation Act into law, showing how committed the Governor is to protecting the environment and local businesses of the region.

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NY governor signs legislation to stop WTE project

UPDATE: May 28, 2019: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill (A5029A) on May 24 aimed at protecting "the Finger Lakes region from the adverse effects of the siting of newly constructed incineration facilities." The legislation effectively blocks plans for a new $365 million Circular enerG incinerator in the Finger Lakes region.

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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.

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Seneca Lake Guardian

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.

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Hidden emissions

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.

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Letter to Tompkins County

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.

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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.

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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.

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