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Lifton calls for stop to mining under Cayuga Lake
Long the subject of scrutiny by the local scientific community, the Cargill Salt Mine in Lansing has attracted the attention of Tompkins County’s voice on the New York State Assembly, Barbara Lifton, who has joined the group of those opposed to further salt mining under Cayuga Lake.
In a press conference on the shores of Cayuga Lake on Thursday Lifton, joined by activist and founder of local environmental research firm Toxics Targeting Walter Hang, announced a proposal to call for a moratorium on any additional mining under Cayuga Lake while, in the meantime, urging Cargill to pursue mining under the stable ground of the land surrounding the lake.
The announcement comes after data produced by Dr. Richard A. Young, an expert on salt mining at SUNY Geneseo, was presented at a meeting in Albany on June 15 attended by Assemblyman Steve Englebright, Chair of the Assembly’s Committee on Environmental Conservation, and high-level Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) officials, outlining concerns that expanded salt mining under Cayuga Lake could pose potentially catastrophic risks to the lake in the event of a mine failure. Young, whose expertise includes extension study of a 1994 salt mine collapse in Livingston County, presented a new study drawing certain parallels between the conditions of the Retsof salt mine collapse and those present at the Cargill site, urging DEC officials to reconsider their approval of Cargill’s mining operations as it works to dig a new mine shaft for its workers.
In a letter to DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos, Lifton – who at this point has yet to meet with Cargill officials or members of government in the Town of Lansing – and Englebright call for the DEC to prohibit future mining activities under Cayuga Lake, stating the information created a “growing concern” about Cargill’s application to drill a new egress shaft for its workers to improve ventilation for its employees 45 minutes from the surface and, in theory, allow the 18,000 acre mine’s continued push up the length of the lake.
Though the proposed shaft itself presents little to no inherent risks, the continuation of mining under the lake has raised concerns among the mine’s opponents: according to Young’s research, the mine’s construction and the geologic anomalies of the mine present risks resembling those apparent in the Restof mine collapse.
“If the Cargill mine suffered a similar disaster, the potential catastrophic effects on Cayuga Lake would be unprecedented and irreversible,” Lifton said.
Citing the potential threat of such a moratorium to the jobs of 200 people, Lifton suggested as an alternative to focus on mining under the adjoining dry land instead, an arduous process that would involve negotiations with multiple landowners for the rights to the minerals thousands of feet below.
The press conference itself rowdy at times, Lifton and Hang were confronted by a number of supporters for the mine who casted doubts on the legitimacy of activist’s concerns. David Cornelius, a former surveyor in the Cargill Salt Mine, called Hang an “alarmist,” with several supporters from the mine bringing up inconsistencies or perceived inaccuracies in the portrayal of the danger present in mining under the lake including, according to one person in attendance, significant differences in the pillaring of the Retsof mine – the nature of which may have led to the mine’s collapse – versus the relatively new “small pillar” system employed in the Cayuga mine. Notably enough, according to local environmental activist John Dennis, the construction of the Restof mine was done on the recommendation of current Cargill engineer Gary Peterson, who currently oversees the layout and construction of the mine in Lansing.
According to Mine Manager Shawn Wilczynski, the new studies presented by Young are nothing new and the perceived lack of oversight by the DEC, overstated.
In 1995, Cargill initiated a seven year process to create an advanced environmental assessment of the mine’s surroundings, a highly advanced geological assessment whose team included two geology PHDs and a comprehensive survey of all available data from the United States Geological Survey. Since its completion, that study has been used as a baseline for all of Cargill’s independent assessments of the mine’s safety, a document which is reviewed on an annual basis with the DEC in the form of an individual mine stability analysis. That survey then goes through several independent reviews before acceptance by the state.
“Every single year, the mine’s stability, the mine’s plans… everything is gone over,” Wilczynski said. “The DEC – as lead agency – has been providing tremendous oversight over this. We all do share the same thing – the protection of this lake is the paramount thing to everybody – and we’re members of this community as well. We’re reminded every single day of where we work. That lake is a constant reminder of that.”
“The main reason we want to do this is for the health and safety of our employees,” Wilczynski said, who noted that the trip 1,400 feet below the surface takes approximately 45 minutes to travel. “It’s frustrating that fact gets lost when it really is that simple.”
For Lansing’s County Legislator, Mike Sigler, the prospect of derailing one of Lansing’s largest employers because of a lack of trust in the judgement of the DEC is an unreasonable one.
“The science isn’t good enough for them apparently,” Sigler said. “A lot of people trust the DEC. Apparently these people don’t.”
He added: “It’s just one more moratorium for Lansing.”
Assemblywoman urges halt in Cargill salt mine expansion below Cayuga Lake
ITHACA, N.Y. – In a press conference Thursday morning, Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton voiced concern for future mining activity below Cayuga Lake, calling for a moratorium on expansions of the Cargill salt mine, a proposal which has mine workers concerned.
Cargill was approved for a $640,000 sales tax abatement by the county in October after the company was seeking the abatement to help fund a new $32 million mine shaft. Without the shaft, Cargill said it would have to cease operations within a decade.
The abatement drew criticism community members who were concerned about the environmental impact while others felt the multi-billion dollar company should not be granted a tax abatement.The DEC previously issued a declaration of negative environmental significance in regards to the project and Tompkins County Legislature voted down a resolution in November which would have required Cargill to perform a full environmental impact review before moving ahead with the expansion.
Currently, Cargill salt mines are spread over seven miles below Cayuga Lake. Cargill employs about 200 people and produces more than 2 million tons of rock salt annually, half of which stays within New York State, according to Mine Manager Shawn Wilczynski.
Lifton, accompanied by Walter Hang of Toxics Targeting, said Thursday that given potential threats the Cargill salt mine poses upon the lake she felt it was necessary to call on the DEC and alert the agency of the matter.
Lifton shared a letter, which was written jointly with Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee Chair Steve Englebright, in regards to her concerns about potential threats future salt mining could have on Cayuga Lake. The letter calls on the DEC to impose a moratorium on future expansions of the mine and avoid approving permits that would lead to additional salt mining locations under Cayuga Lake.
"A key question is whether relatively new "small pillar" mining techniques used at the site may be insufficient to resist powerful geologic sources associated with both the continental scale compression that is impacting the glacial valley sediments and the glacial scour weakened lithified strata that is the overburden," the letter reads.
Over the past six months, Lifton said she has heard increasing concerns from her constituents in the 125th assembly district in regards to the matter. In a recent meeting with DEC officials, Lifton said SUNY Geneseo Professor Richard Young presented research comparing the Cayuga mines to the Retsof salt mine, which collapsed in Livingston County in 1994.
"Retsof was one of the nation's biggest salt mines and the worst salt mining disaster in New York State," Lifton said. "When the mine collapsed it flooded with water resulting in immense sinkholes, property damage and had an impact on local water wells. It took two years for the mine to refill with water from surrounding aquifers."
According to Hang and Lifton, Young's research suggested that there were clear parallels between the Retsof and Cayuga mines. Hang said both mines used a relatively new mining technique which employs small pillars.
"The geological horizontal forces are pushing in from the side," Hang said. "This has the effect of creating a force that is moving up from the bottom of Cayuga Lake."
Lifton said her goal was not to put a stop to salt mining entirely, but instead to continue work in existing mines and transition mining efforts onto dry land. Since mining companies only have to negotiate with the state over mineral rights underwater, if Cargill were to begin mining efforts on dry land they would also have to begin negotiation efforts with property owners. Lifton said the transition period would happen over the course of several years.
"This is a perfect time to begin to phase out mining under the lake and begin to mine salt under the dry land in the adjoining area," Lifton said. "This would completely safeguard the lake without causing loss of jobs, but the lake comes first when it comes to preventing these pollution problems."
Because of federal law, Hang said additional expansion to the mines will not be possible since miners are required to have to make it out within an hour.
Wilczynski said the proposed shaft was more of a precaution to ensure the health and safety of miners below the lake. He said that currently, it takes about 45 to 50 minutes for miners to get to the current mining location.
"We do struggle to provide fresh air and an escape way that would be closer to where (miners) are working," he said. "The main reason for the shaft is for the health and safety of our employees, which seems to be getting lost when it is purely that simple."
As part of the expansion agreement, Wilczynski said a minimum of three to four mine stability reviews are conducted annually at the underwater location, dating back to 2003. He said seven years of analysis and comprehensive study of the lake served as a foundation for the company since 2002, which they continue to modify.
Wilczynski said Cargill has agreed to meet with the DEC once a year as a part of the expansion terms. The company is also required to provide an annual report to the DEC which is verified by two other parties, and the raw data is then sent to a third party for independent review.
"We all do share the exact same things - the protection and sustainability of the lake is important to everybody involved," he said. "We are members of this community as well, as are our families and friends. We are reminded every day when we show up to work – the lake is a constant reminder and we take extreme responsibility for that and go to great lengths and will continue to do so."
State Assemblywoman announces Cargill Mine letter in contentious press conference
ITHACA– The State Assemblywoman to the Ithaca area announced Thursday that she would be speaking out against salt mining underneath Cayuga Lake.
In a press conference held by the lake with Toxics Targeting President Walter Hang, Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton stated that she was part of a joint letter sent to the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation. In it, she along with fellow Assembly member Steve Englebright urge the DEC’s Commissioner Basil Seggos to prohibit the local Cargill Salt Mine from expanding beneath the lake. Lifton elaborates further on what got her involved in the issue.
“I’ve heard from a number of constituents, gotten information, gotten data, and I’ve grown increasingly troubled about the Cargill Shaft 4 permit application”, she said. “These concerns are shared by many of my constituents who drink water supplied from this lake, live near the lake, or simply treasure Cayuga Lake”.
Hang also announced his own citizen’s coalition, and explained what they plan to do.
“We’re gonna be writing to the Governor to echo this request”, he said. “That there be a prohibition on any issuance or permits, approvals or authorizations of any kind that could lead to salt mining continuing under the lake”.
The press conference grew heated at several moments, with members of the community calling Hang an “alarmist” and that this move was a ban on all area mining. Lifton moved to deny this however, stating that as an alternative Cargill could instead focus on digging beneath adjoining dry land.
Court puts temporary stop to Fenton natural gas station development
NG Advantage representatives tried to allay fears expressed by Town of Fenton residents who say the company's natural gas transfer station poses a potential threat to the health and safety of neighbors.
A judge's order has halted construction on a Town of Fenton natural gas transfer station just as developers try to allay fears voiced by opponents who claim the project poses serious hazards.
A state Supreme Court judge ordered NG Advantage and the Town of Fenton Planning Board to respond to claims in a 127-page lawsuit brought by the Chenango Valley Central School District that claims the project review process was flawed.
NG Advantage CEO Rico Biasetti said he was disappointed by the stop-work order, but expressed confidence the transfer station will eventually get the go-ahead after a full court review.
"The fact remains that NG Advantage has a perfect safety record and we have been and will continue to be completely transparent and honest with the community during every step of the process," Biasetti said. "No amount of scare tactics from opponents changes that.”
All responding papers are due in court by July 12, with a court hearing in front of Judge Ferris Lebous at 1:30 p.m. July 18 in State Supreme Court in Binghamton.
Construction workers have been on-site for about two weeks preparing the parcel that lies between the Chenango River and the West Service Road — north of the Port Dickinson Community Park — for a 12-bay filling station that will tap the Millennium Pipeline. Gas will be trucked in specially designed trailers to supply natural gas to customers without access to a pipeline.
The work stoppage came hours before developers hosted two information sessions at Port Crane Fire Department Hall on Wednesday evening.
In an introductory Tuesday session at an American Legion just a half-mile north of construction, about 60 residents spent nearly two hours grilling company representatives about the project.
Developers say they want to limit the operation's impact on the community and sought to assure an uncertain public safety is a priority.
"We've heard the term 'bomb trucks,' just not the case," said Gerry Myers, chief operating officer of NG Advantage, the Colchester, Vermont, company investing $8 million to transform a former junkyard into a natural gas filling station.
Myers said the company is open to negotiating with officials to limit truck traffic during peak hours, and is willing to discuss other options to address community concerns.
"We're not going to convince everyone, but we want to be honest with everyone," said Myers, addressing about 60 people in attending the meeting.
Each information session is by invitation only because Myers said the company wants to speak directly to those affected by the development rather than debating the larger issue of the advisability of expanding the natural gas infrastructure with parties from beyond the Town of Fenton.
Bottom line, Myers said, NG Advantage and companies like it are helping clients limit their carbon footprints by allowing them to convert from other more polluting fuel sources.
"The environmental advantage of using natural gas is beyond debate," Myers said.
Though most of the discussion among the community participants and the NG Advantage panel was amicable, there was clear frustration with the opaque nature of the Town of Fenton project review process from a portion of the audience.
"This came in by the back door," said Dave O'Neil from the Town of Fenton. "No one wants it here."
Myers, however, said discussions with the Town of Fenton began as early as January, and he could not explain why project details were not fully disclosed earlier in the process.
Residents asked Myers and his associates to be sympathetic to their concerns because of the community's past experiences with a Superfund site and a suspected cancer cluster from a toxic plume.
Don McDufee, left, and Kurt Mohney protest the construction of a natural gas transfer station in the Town of Fenton before a community meeting by project sponsors, NG Advantage
(Photo: Jeff Platsky/Staff photo)
"We have a concern for our community," said Joela Andersen, of Fenton, noting that those who oppose the project are only attempting to guard nearby residents from similar incidents.
Company representative sought to ease the anxiety about the hazards of the development. Loading natural gas for transport is a relatively safe process, Myers said, through he did acknowledge there were three leaks from the company's Milton, Vermont, transfer station that required firefighter response and limited evacuations.
In the unlikely event of a leak from a transfer station, the gas rises into the atmosphere and disperses quickly, panelists said.
"I am extremely comfortable with the concept because I know the hazard is going up and it's not going to hang around," said Chris Christophoulos, fire chief for Lebanon, New Hampshire, one the of experts NG Advantage brought in to address safety issues.
Traffic concerns are real, Myers acknowledged, but the company is forced to use the West Service Road to access highways because of weight limits on local roads and the preference expressed by the New York state Department of Transportation.
"The traffic is just going to be awful," said Mary McMahon, who lives nearby.
At peak season — December, January and February — he expects up to a maximum of 100 trucks daily entering and exiting the site, and in the range of 40 trucks daily in other months.
Noise concerns, he said, are largely unfounded because the 12 electric compressors on-site will be barely noticed above the ambient noise from the nearby roadways.
When complete, the operation will employ 150 people and pay approximately $75,000 in property taxes.
Representatives of the Colchester, Vermont, sponsor say they hope the explanations provided by a panel of experts will provide a clear and concise project overview and clear up misconceptions.
Public sessions by NG Advantage follow two lawsuits that have been filed seeking to halt the project, one from a group of nearby residents and another initiated by the Chenango Valley Central School District.
The Town of Fenton transfer station will be the second in the region. Last year, a similar operation opened in Pennsylvania's Forest Lake Township, about 25 miles southwest of Binghamton. Trucks loaded with compressed natural gas from the Marcellus Shale now regularly travel Broome County roads as trailers with XNG logos deliver the commodity to customers within a day's drive.
Known as "virtual pipelines," the transfer stations load compressed natural gas into specially designed trailers for transport to customers without access to pipelines, allowing industrial and commercial clients to convert to a less expensive alternative than fuel oil or propane.
Environmental firm opposes Town of Fenton natural gas compressor station
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. - An Ithaca-based Environmental firm is calling on the state to stop the operation of a gas trucking terminal in the Town of Fenton.
The President of Toxics Targeting, Walter Hang, held a news conference on Friday to discuss incidents regarding gas compressor stations statewide.
Hang says in many cases, spills, fires and toxic releases are not cleaned up to DEC standards.
Construction is well underway for a gas compressor station and trucking terminal located along West Service Road in Hillcrest.
The $100 million facility will transport compressed gas to customers within a 200 miles of our area while deploying around 100 trucks per day.
Hang says New York State needs to step in and put an end to all types of fossil fuel infrastructure.
"They are putting the facility up. However, there's a big difference between beginning construction, completing construction and getting the regulatory approvals that are required to get this facility to operate. We're putting the entire load on the Governor's shoulders," said Hang.
Hang says over 1,200 people, including 22 state lawmakers have called for a statewide moratorium on fossil fuel project approvals.