u/velvet-goldmine1999

I wanted to use more herbs and plants in my craft. I already use common spices and herbs from spice cabinet, but I wanted to try using plants from my own backyard, instead of buying herbs online. The iNaturalist app is great for identifying plants growing around where I live, and then I look up how they are used in witchcraft. Now I’m learning a lot more about the plants around my house, and I feel a lot more connected to the spells and charms I’m making because it’s from my own backyard. Also, I’m contributing to citizen science as a bonus! Win/win!

Here’s the latest update from CLEAN. I am not a member of the CLEAN organization, just an Ithaca resident who cares about saving our lake!

Dear CLEAN Community,

We are thrilled to share some exciting news regarding our ongoing efforts to protect Cayuga Lake and the surrounding environment!

On April 28th,  Tompkins County Supreme Court Judge Mark Masler rejected motions to dismiss and ruled that our legal challenge against the Town of Lansing Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) and TeraWulf could go to trial on the merits of our case.  We are hoping to prevent a data center from being built on Cayaga Lake or anywhere else in the Cayuga Lake watershed.
Here are some key highlights from the decision:

To have legal standing in New York, a petitioner must demonstrate a concrete "Injury in Fact" that is actual or imminent. Many petitioners challenging municipal government errors have their cases dismissed for lack of standing.
 
In this case, petitioners who frequently visit and enjoy the Cayuga Shores Wildlife Management Area have made allegations that “go further than mere interest in environmental conservation, and, in context, they are sufficient to demonstrate injury-in-fact in this land use matter”.
“It is well-settled that noise from a project that is heard at a petitioner’s home is an injury different from that of the public at large that confers standing and that is within the zone of interests to be protected by zoning ordinances.”
The court determined that our claims are ready for consideration, meaning we can effectively challenge the ZBA's decision that categorized the data center as a permissible use in our community. We firmly believe that this decision will help ensure that future developments align with our environmental values and goals.

The ZBA and TeraWulf  must file their responses to our petition by May 22nd.  The next Court hearing—again on MS Teams—is scheduled for June 18th.   We will send the link for registering to watch the hearing on Teams a few days before the event.
 
A new hire by TeraWulf, Scott Kobylarz,  gave a lacklustre presentation to the Town of Lansing Planning Board on April 27th. In his presentation, he described the data center as a 300MW project and, surprisingly, was unaware that the project remains described as a 400MW project at https://www.terawulf.com/wulf-compute.  
 
The Phase One 150MW portion of the plan would be housed in three buildings to be constructed on a level 30-acre platform carved out of a forested 14%-16% sloping hillside that is 12% wetlands.
 
Mr. Kobylarz told the Planning Board that the second 150MW phase would be housed in “one or two buildings.” 
 
Has TeraWulf realized that there isn’t actually enough space to build out a 400MW project at this site?  Or, are their data center sites at Somerset, NY, Abernathy TX, and Hawesville, KY, all moving forward more readily and so TeraWulf is already seeking to scale back investor expectations for the Lansing project?   
 
Stay tuned. The next Planning Board meeting is scheduled for May 18th630pm.  We will let you know if TeraWulf will be on the agenda.  We’d love to see a big orderly crowd in attendance.  

To sum up, the April 28thcourt  victory is a testament to the power of community action and advocacy. We want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our supporters who have stood with us during this journey. 178 donors have so far donated almost $55,000 for this fight. So, we are more than half-way to our goal of raising $100,000 to fight the permitting and construction of a TeraWulf datacenter on Cayuga Lake.  Donations can be made at cleancayugalake.org. Your dedication and passion are what drives us forward in our fight to protect Cayuga Lake and our local environment.

Stay tuned for more updates, and thank you for your continued support!

In solidarity,

Cayuga Lake Environmental Action Now