HomeMy WebLinkAboutTB 2025-012 Cargill Permit Resolution v2MEETING OF THE ITHACA TOWN BOARD
January 13, 2025
TB Resolution 2025-012: Requesting Additional Environmental Review and Release of Data Related to Cargill Incorporated’s RenewalPermit Application for the Cayuga Salt Mine
WHEREAS, Cargill Incorporated has submitted a permit application (0-9999-00075/00001) to renew and modify its Mined Land Reclamation Permit for the Cayuga Salt Mine, which includes plans
to flood the abandoned S3 Zone of the mine beneath Cayuga Lake with wastewater, potentially impacting the environment and the community;
WHEREAS, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has declared itself the lead agency under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR) and has issued
a Negative Declaration despite the application being classified as a Type I action;
WHEREAS, concerns have been raised regarding the adequacy of Cargill’s application, including monitoring and treatment of waste materials, the potential for groundwater pollution, the
stability of the mine, and the long-term reclamation of the affected areas;
WHEREAS, the proposed flooding of the S3 Zone raises serious questions about the safety and environmental integrity of Cayuga Lake, particularly in light of prior instability noted in
this area and the implications of storing unsaturated brine beneath the lake;
Whereas, since the collapse of Retsof, the only other large NYS salt mine in 1994 and the Assembly’s Joint Public Hearing on Underground Mining in NYS in 1995, many local municipalities
and nonprofits whose missions are to preserve Cayuga Lake’s water quality have supported an independent third-party scientific review of the relevant data facilitated by an Environmental
Impact Study to provide a more comprehensive public assessment of the long-term threats to the Lake from the large rock salt mine beneath the Lake;
Whereas, since the community has been denied access to much of the relevant geological and seismic data needed to assess the risk of the mine’s operations, the DEC’s Senior Administrative
Law Judge found in 2002 that “shielding from public scrutiny the very information to assess the potential environmental impact and safety issues associated with a proposed mine (Permit)
is inimical to the process,” and in 2005 the DEC’s Asst. Commissioner overruled the ALJ and denied access to this information as a trade secret, we urge the DEC to reject this overly
broad determination and order the release of the necessary data.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Town of Ithaca formally requests that the DEC:
1. Rescind the Negative Declaration and require the preparation of a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement to assess all potential environmental risks associated with the proposed
activities.
2. Conduct a public hearing to allow for community input and address the substantive concerns raised by residents and stakeholders regarding the application.
3. Ensure that Cargill’s Reclamation Plan and accompanying bond are revised to adequately address environmental protection and public safety, and that sufficient measures are implemented
to prevent potential pollution and ensure the long-term stability of the mine and surrounding areas.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution be sent to Comment.CayugaSaltMine2023@dec.ny.gov
DEC Region 7 Administrator Dereth Glance (dereth.glance@dec.ny.gov)
DEC Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar (sean.mahar@dec.ny.gov)
OGS Commissioner Jeanette Moy (officeofthecommissioner@ogs.ny.gov)
DEC Region 8 Administrator Tim Walsh (tim.walsh@dec.ny.gov)
DEC Region 7 Asst. Permit Administrator JonathanStercho (Jonathan.stercho@dec.ny.gov)
NYS Senator Lea Webb (leawebb@nysenate.gov)
NYS Assemblyperson Anna Kelles (kellesa@nyassembly.gov)
Shawn Wilczynski, Mine Manager, Cargill (Shawn_Wilczynski@cargill.com)
Zoe Scopa, Senior Mine Engineer, Cargill (zoe_scopa@cargill.com)
Motioned: Rich DePaolo Seconded: Susie Gutenberger
Vote: ayes- Howe, DePaolo, Bleiwas, Levine, Gutenberger, and Rosen