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Peter Mantius
Peter is a three-time Pulitzer nominated reporter covering environmental issues through his first-of-its-kind digital publication The Water Front. He's won an array of Associated Press, UPI, and Society of Professional Journalist awards. His reporting on environmental issues continues to be featured in prominent New York publications and is available on FingerLakes1.com through an exclusive content partnership. Have a question or lead? Send it to [email protected].
Judge overturns DEC’s denial, clearing way for Greenidge plant and Bitcoin mine to operate
On Thursday, a judge annulled the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s denial of an air emissions permit for Greenidge Generation LLC’s power plant, effectively vacating a DEC closure order that was to set be carried ... more
Critics dispute claims in landfill report released about Seneca County cancer cluster
In an effort to defuse an issue that could interfere with Seneca Meadows Inc.’s bid to win state approval for a major expansion, the landfill’s manager is touting a recent report that dismisses SMI’s potential ... more
Greenidge can continue mining bitcoin at least until Nov. 14 when judge will rule on DEC shutdown order
At a hearing in Yates County Supreme Court on Tuesday, Judge Vincent Dinolfo committed to ruling by Nov. 14 on Greenidge Generation LLC’s request to block a state order to permanently shut down its Dresden ... more
Dresden plant’s future on the line as Greenidge fights state closure order
Greenidge Generation LLC plans to make its closing arguments in Yates County Supreme Court tomorrow for a preliminary injunction to block a state order to shut down the company’s power plant on Nov. 1. Attorneys ... more
Toxic threat: PFAS contamination spreads from former Seneca Army Depot into Seneca Lake
Recent tests for PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ in water drawn from several sites in Seneca Lake and its tributaries provide fresh evidence that PFAS contamination at the former Seneca Army Depot is spreading beyond its borders ... more
Toxic blooms in Finger Lakes set record in 2024: Owasco Lake called region’s ‘canary in the coal mine’ for HABs
Blooms of toxic cyanobacteria “exploded” across the Finger Lakes this worst-ever season, as Seneca, Canandaigua, Skaneateles and Cayuga lakes each had more than 100 reports of harmful algal blooms, or HABs. The outbreaks began in ... more
Influential energy lobbyist argues Greenidge’s Dresden plant is vital to NY’s electric grid
In a last-minute bid to save Greenidge Generation’s Dresden power plant from a state order to shut down by Nov. 1, an Albany trade group argues that the facility is vital to the state electric ... more
Seneca Meadows declares it has had ‘no impact’ on lung cancer rates as Town’s bid for state study goes unanswered
One year after a unanimous town resolution called for a state analysis of lung cancer patterns around the Seneca Meadows Inc. landfill, the state’s health and environment agencies have failed to deliver. In the absence ... more
Cayuga Lake has relied on herbicides to control aggressively invasive hydrilla: Is there a downside to that strategy?
In early June, 232 waterfront property owners and water users around Wells College Bay were mailed notices of a plan to apply herbicide along the east side of Cayuga Lake to eradicate the highly invasive ... more
Judge lets environmental groups intervene in Greenidge’s plea for injunction to save Dresden power plant
Rejecting arguments by Greenidge Generation LLC, a state Supreme Court judge will allow three environmental groups to argue against the company’s bid for an injunction to save its Dresden power plant. The state Department of ... more
Greenidge tries to stop groups from intervening in bid for court injunction to keep Dresden plant open
Greenidge Generation LLC is trying to exclude four environmental groups from its bid to convince a court to block a state order to permanently shut down its Dresden power plant by Nov. 1. The company ... more
SF Town Board delays landfill permit decision for 3 months: Residents protest odors
The Seneca Falls Town Board voted unanimously last night to postpone until December a decision on whether to grant Seneca Meadows Inc. a local permit after several citizens complained about ‘horrendous’ landfill odors. Previously, the ... more
Finger Lakes Region Hit Hard By HABs During Final Week of August; No Other Part of NYS Had Comparable Outbreaks
More than 200 confirmed blooms of cyanobacteria hit the Finger Lakes during the final week of August in one of the most widespread outbreaks on record. The state’s interactive map of so-called harmful algal blooms ... more
Greenidge Gets Reprieve on State Order to Close its Dresden Power Plant; New Judge to Preside Over Lawsuit
The judge presiding over a Greenidge Generation LLC lawsuit against the state Department of Environmental Conservation abruptly recused himself last week — one day after he temporarily blocked a DEC order to shut down the ... more
Four Environmental Groups Seek to Argue Against Greenidge’s Bid for Injunction to Halt Shutdown of Dresden Power Plant
Four environmental groups have asked a Yates County Supreme Court judge to allow them to intervene in a lawsuit Greenidge Generation LLC has filed to try to block a state order to shut down the ... more
Casella offers to drop sludge spreading plans in Thurston if Town will allow composting site; Supervisor says ‘no’
Casella Waste Systems Inc. has offered to drop all plans to spread sewage sludge on fields in Thurston if the Steuben County town will allow to operate a composting facility instead at its Bonny Hill ... more
Greenidge sues DEC in Yates County seeking injunction to block enforcement of order to close Dresden power plant
Greenidge Generation LLC sued the state Department of Environmental Conservation in Yates County Thursday in an effort to block the agency’s order to close its Dresden power plant by Sept. 9. The company, which operates ... more
DEC tells Greenidge Generation it will be illegal to operate Dresden power plant after September 9th: What happens now?
The state Department of Environmental Conservation has notified Greenidge Generation that it will be “unlawful to operate” its Dresden power plant after Sept. 9 and that the company should prepare to close its facility. That’s ... more
Green Amendment would be ‘toothless’ if Albany court dismisses suit against Seneca Meadows, attorney says
The state’s Green Amendment would be rendered “toothless” if a state court in Albany grants requests to dismiss a lawsuit seeking to block the expansion of Seneca Meadows Inc. due to odor violations, an attorney ... more
