Author: Peter Mantius
Cargill begins flooding third largest salt mine: Regulators go silent on 2020 roof collapse
As court petitioners and geologic experts warn that Cargill’s salt mining under Cayuga Lake risks a catastrophic mine collapse and flood, the company began closing one of its two other giant U.S….
Crypto moratorium approved after surprising early-morning NYS Senate vote; industry lobbying falls short
The New York State Legislature early today passed a two-year moratorium on certain cryptocurrency mining that would halt permits to convert old fossil-fuel power plants into crypto operations. The bill (A7389/S6486) had been considered…
Are proposed state PFAS regulations a ‘grand leap forward’ or an example of ‘excessive regulatory caution’?
New York is poised to take what one senior state official called “a grand leap forward” in regulating 23 PFAS-class chemicals in all public drinking water systems by early Fall. An advisory…
DEC needed months to review public comments that ran 100-to-1 against Greenidge’s bitcoin operation
Nearly 4,000 public comments on Greenidge Generation’s bid to renew a state air emissions permit for its Bitcoin mining operation ran nearly 100-to-1 negative last Fall, according to a recent analysis by…
Closer look at how state regulators punted a major decision on bitcoin mining in the Finger Lakes and New York
Facing a major test on how the state plans to enforce its ambitious 2019 climate change law, state regulators on Thursday delayed for the second time a ruling on an air permit for a Bitcoin mining operation in the Finger Lakes.
Seneca Meadows official tells Ulster County that landfill won’t close in 2025 despite local law
The top official at Seneca Meadows Inc. assured public officials in Ulster County last week that SMI would not be shutting down by Dec. 31, 2025 despite a local law that requires…
Hochul could follow fracking precedent in setting crypto mining moratorium in New York
Gov. Kathy Hochul has a clear legal path to establish a moratorium on permits for cryptocurrency mining operations like Greenidge Generation’s plant in Dresden, according to a report issued today by Columbia Law School’s…
Leachate from landfills is contaminated with PFAS chemicals at hundreds of times the state’s drinking water limit
Runoff from the state’s active and inactive landfills contains PFAS ‘non-stick’ chemicals at hundreds of times the levels deemed a health risk in drinking water. While state officials are cracking down on…
State health officials urge tough new rules for four PFAS chemicals; enforceable tap water limits of 10 ppt
In an unexpected move last week, state health officials proposed setting new enforceable limits for four PFAS-class “forever chemicals” found in public drinking water. If the recommendation is formally adopted, all of…
Waste Connections spent $282,000 to help flip Seneca Falls Town Board
Twelve days before the November election, the Texas-based owner of Seneca Meadows Inc. contributed $200,000 to an advocacy group devoted to helping a pair of Republican candidates win seats on the five-member Seneca Falls…
Hochul’s DEC gives Greenidge crucial time extension to expand bitcoin mining before it rules on air permit renewal
In a private agreement with Greenidge Generation LLC, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s environmental regulators awarded the company a crucial two-month window to install thousands of new Bitcoin mining rigs at its Dresden power…
New York’s landmark water testing bill hinges on state health department setting strict limits for emerging PFAS chemicals
Six years after New York health officials were caught flat-footed by a water contamination crisis in Hoosick Falls, the state is set to require what may be the most extensive drinking water testing program in the nation for the PFAS family of “forever chemicals.”
Pressure on DEC to deny permit renewal for Greenidge’s Lockwood Hills Coal Ash Landfill
In a fresh challenge to the state’s piecemeal approach to regulating the environmental risks of Greenidge Generation’s bitcoin mining operation, 10 environmental groups are seeking to block the renewal of a discharge…
Wrongful death suits against Cargill’s Louisiana salt mining spooks concerns about Cayuga Lake mine collapse
Days before the one-year anniversary of a roof collapse that killed two miners at Cargill Inc.’s Avery Island salt mine in Louisiana, the widows of the deceased have filed twin wrongful death…
Shares of Greenidge tumble after Sen. Elizabeth Warren asks company’s CEO about Dresden plant’s emissions
Shares of Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc. tumbled 15 percent Friday, the day after Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts asked the company to deliver details on the environmental impact of its Bitcoin mining…
Bitcoin mining foes urge Hochul, DEC to deny Greenidge new air permit as hydro-powered crypto mining surges
Opponents of Greenidge Generation’s Bitcoin mining operation in Dresden urged Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration today to deny the facility’s application to renew its air emissions permit and to impose a statewide moratorium…
