Dear Friends of Cayuga Lake,

CLEAN’s campaign to protect Cayuga Lake is in full swing. We are putting pressure on Cargill to close their salt mine in Lansing, NY, rather than sell it. We held a press conference bringing together business, government, and environmental leaders with decades of experience and sent a strong letter to Governor Hochul urging her to take action immediately. We are supporting the new Webb-Kelles state legislation, S.7736/A8250, to protect Cayuga Lake from potential increased salinization following a mine collapse. And we helped pass a resolution in the Tompkins County Legislature to protect Cayuga Lake from the dangers posed by Cargill’s mine and a secret sale.

Will you chip in right now, so we can spread the word from Cayuga Lake to Albany and stop the sale of the Cargill mine?

So, here's how we're going to finish the job: Grassroots people-power. We rally together, right now, and sound the alarm from Cayuga Lake to Albany before the mine is sold without a long overdue, thorough environmental review including a detailed closure plan and the posting of a $10B environmental bond by Cargill and any new owner until as long as 200 years after the mine is closed.

Will you stand with me in supporting CLEAN’s work right now? Chip in today to fund this fight for the future of our lake. Funds are urgently needed for our PR campaign and our on-going research on the mine and its effects on Cayuga Lake and on several tributaries. 

We’re asking for transparency. Salinity levels in Cayuga and Seneca Lakes are already much higher than the rest of the Finger Lakes due to the impacts from Cargill salt mines on both lakes. In the 53 years Cargill has owned the mine on Cayuga, they have never done an environmental impact statement, which is an essential study needed periodically to make a mine safer. Because Cargill has argued that its consultants’ reports contain trade secrets, DEC has allowed these reports to remain confidential and not be released to the public. From the information available to the public, it appears Cargill has never studied how their salt mining is affecting the health of Cayuga Lake or the risks that further salt mining poses to the lake’s ecosystem and to our drinking water. 

That’s why we’re urging Governor Hochul to act before it’s too late. We’re demanding that change now because the impacts on Cayuga Lake could last forever. We kindly request a tax-deductible donation to our fiscal sponsor, the Chris Dennis Environment Foundation. Your contribution will directly support our efforts to Stop the Sale of Cayuga Salt Mine. Donations can be made conveniently through our donation page using Venmo, PayPal or credit card or by sending a check to the Chris Dennis Environment Foundation at the following address: 893 Cayuga Heights Road, Ithaca, NY 14850. 

Thank you for standing with me.

In Solidarity,

Stephanie Redmond

Program Manager, CLEAN

On Behalf of Cayuga Lake Environmental Action Now