At a meeting conducted on August 12, 2020, members of the Committee to Preserve the Finger Lakes met by Zoom, to elect new officers.
The new officers are:
- President: Mary Anne Kowalski
- Vice President: Leah Murray
- Secretary: Abi Buddington
- Treasurer: Peter Gamba
Members discussed their concerns with the continued expansion of the data center/bitcoin facility at the Greenidge Power Plant and the operations of the Lockwood Ash Landfill.
According to national news reports about Greenidge’s new data center and bitcoin operation, Greenidge plans to operate 24/7 at its maximum electric generating capacity to run its bitcoin operations.
“Unfortunately, Greenidge has permits that allows them to withdraw 139 million gallons of water a day from Seneca Lake, vacuuming up fish and fish eggs and larva, to cool the turbines and discharge the heated water into the Lake,” said Mary Anne Kowalski, the new President of the Committee. “It is imperative that the plant install closed-cycle cooling to dramatically reduce their water usage and the damage caused to Seneca Lake by their operations.”
The Committee to Preserve the Finger Lakes will be working to investigate the impacts of the commercial operation of the plant on the environment, including air, water and noise impacts.
People who want to join the effort can contact the Committee at [email protected] or join our facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/ctpfl/ or follow our page https://www.facebook.com/PreservetheFingerLakes/
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