CLEAN & Finger Lakes Leaders Demand Action to Stop the Secret Sale of Cargill's Cayuga Lake Salt Mine

ITHACA, NY (10/25/2023) (readMedia)-- Local lawmakers, agritourism business owners, and local advocates today joined Cayuga Lake Environmental Action Now (CLEAN) at a virtual press conference demanding New York Governor Kathy Hochul and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation protect Cayuga Lake from the threats posed by the potential sale of Cargill's Lansing, NY mine, the deepest salt mine in North America. CLEAN and other leaders added their voices to a campaign with over 1,500 initial petition signers asking for state intervention to Save Cayuga Lake.

Watch the press conference here.

Cargill, one of the world's richest private conglomerates, known for environmental degradation, child labor, union busting, and worker safety issues, has been working with advisors including Deutsche Bank on the secret sale of its mine on the eastern shore of Cayuga Lake with no public oversight. For decades Cargill has operated its mines with insufficient regulatory oversight. While the Mine Safety and Health Administration has been able to inspect for worker safety, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation has not inspected regularly for issues related to protecting the Cayuga Lake ecosystem. Now, after decades of mining by Cargill, Cayuga Lake is saltier than nearly all the other Finger Lakes. Without intervention from New York State, the lake could permanently become even more salty, destroying 100,000 residents' source of drinking water and the bedrock of the region's $3 billion, 60,000-employee food, wine and recreational tourism economy.

"Cargill has put the Finger Lakes at risk for too long, and now they want to secretly skip town and leave us holding the bag. Governor Hochul must step in and protect Cayuga Lake from 'the worst company in the world,' which doesn't care if 100,000 people lose their source of clean drinking water or if our $3 billion, 60,000-employee local economic engine loses the lakes its business rely on. Governor Hochul, stop the sale! We need a full, independent environmental review of the mine before it's too late," said Stephanie Redmond, Environmental Researcher at CLEAN.

"Access to fresh, clean water is critical to the health and well-being of our communities. It is important that we protect Cayuga Lake, which provides fresh, clean drinking water to thousands of our constituents, recreation and respite to so many. I am proud to stand with Assemblymember Kelles, our partners in local government, and clean water advocates to urge Governor Hochul and the DEC to stop the sale of the mine and require a full, independent environmental review before it can be sold. Any potential sale of the mine must be done transparently and with public oversight," said NYS Senator Lea Webb.

"Cayuga Lake is a critical resource for drinking water, tourism, and recreation in the region. Salt mining under the lake is inherently dangerous, and any mining accident could threaten the health of our water. Cargill has been mining at the Cayuga Salt Mine for years without a full, unbiased environmental review and now wants to sell the mine. To ensure the future health of Cayuga Lake, I call on Governor Hochul to halt the sale and require a full, independent environmental review of the mine. The health of over 100,000 New Yorkers who rely on the lake for drinking water is not worth risking for private corporate profits, particularly as we lack public, state-confirmed data on the status of the mines, including the geographic anomalies that have been mined to date," said Assembly Member Anna Kelles.

"Protecting Cayuga Lake is essential as it is the primary drinking water source and/or backup source for nearly 100,000 residents, and it provides world-class opportunities for recreation and tourism vital to our local economies and quality of life. Since Cargill has put the mine up for sale, this should be a triggering event that DEC should use to establish and enforce Cargill's accountability for the long-term safety of Cayuga Lake regardless of future ownership of the mine," said Tompkins County Legislator Anne Koreman.

"We are foolish not to take steps now to avert potential problems that may impact the 100s of thousands of people who drink the water of Cayuga and Seneca Lakes, who enjoy their waters and who rely directly or indirectly on them for their livelihoods. An obvious and critical step is to complete a full independent environmental and economic study so that all stakeholders are heard and we have a more complete understanding of the issues and impacts of the mine," said Former Chair, Cayuga County Legislature, Keith Batman.

"Corporate priorities do not align with maximizing the health of Cayuga Lake and surrounding communities. We need state officials to step in, require advanced pollution prevention and treatment at the site, and provide certainty to the people who rely on - and love - Cayuga Lake," said Annie Beaman, Director, Our Children's Earth Foundation.

"After more than a decade of success protecting the Finger Lakes from predatory corporations, we stand with our colleagues urging Governor Hochul to stop the sale of Cargill's salt mine and require a full, independent environmental review. We strongly urge Cargill against a hasty departure. When climate change is impacting all our lives and threatening freshwater supplies worldwide, Cayuga Lake is a vital natural resource that must be protected," said Yvonne Taylor, Vice President of Seneca Lake Guardian.

"Finger Lakes wineries are a significant tourism "magnet" that attract hundreds of thousands of visitors to the region, and the health, beauty, and recreational appeal of the lakes are central to the visitor experience. There are myriad efforts to protect water quality and any risk from salt mining operations under the lake is inexcusable. NYS must be ensure that the current salt mine operations are subject to rigorous environmental review; and that any change of ownership of the mine, or closure of the mine, is subject to public scrutiny and the proposed environmental bond to protect the lake and the public from future negligence or future disaster," said Chuck Tauck, Owner, Sheldrake Point Winery.

"As compounding catastrophes threaten the planet's diminishing sources of clean fresh water, New York cannot afford to risk the health of the entire Cayuga Lake ecosystem and the drinking water of over 100,000 people by giving a safety compromised mine a new lease on life. Allowing Cargill to sell its deep salt mine under Cayuga Lake - an operation that has been plagued with insufficient regulatory oversight and safety issues for decades - in secret with no public oversight or environmental review is unconscionable," said Kate Bartholomew, Chair of the Atlantic Chapter of the Sierra Club.

Over zoom, the residents, business owners and other leaders called on Governor Hochul to take actionable steps to protect Cayuga Lake and ensure a secret sale of this land doesn't occur without appropriate public oversight that fully examines all environmental risks. As noted in the new petition, no sale should proceed without a full, independent environmental review of the mine. The environmental review should examine the impact of mining and mine expansion on water quality and salinity, surrounding geological formations, aquatic life, air quality, and other ecological disruptions. The group also demanded that Cargill post a $10 Billion bond to ensure adequate funding even if the mine is sold to mitigate the many known and unknown environmental risks of salt mining under freshwater resources.

Cayuga Lake Environmental Action Now (CLEAN) is an independent advocacy group that is working to protect Cayuga Lake. We are addressing industry polluters in an effort to highlight the need for remediation of industrial contamination. Based in Ithaca, CLEAN is working with researchers, local environmental groups, and a legal team to address water quality issues on Cayuga Lake. We are affiliated with the Cayuga Lake Watershed Network. CLEAN has fiscal sponsorship through the Chris Dennis Environment Fund. We are working to hold industry polluters accountable and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation responsible for protecting a resource that belongs to all of us: Cayuga Lake.