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As part of a national day of climate action, a Sun Day rally will be held this weekend in Geneva.
Leaders from the realms of climate activism, state government, academia and science, local business, and the community will speak at the event.
Among the scheduled speakers are: Assemblymember Anna Kelles; Brady Fergusson, director of public engagement at the Climate Solutions Accelerator of the Genesee Finger Lakes Region; Robert Howarth, NYS Climate Action Council member; and David Atkinson, professor of ecology and environmental biology at Cornell University. Also slated to speak are Rev. Jane Winters; Vinny Aliperti, owner of Billsboro Winery; and Yvonne Taylor, vice president of Seneca Lake Guardian.
Organizers say the rally aims to celebrate clean energy while also highlighting the environmental dangers in the Finger Lakes region. They say those concerns have been inadequately addressed by state leadership.
For example, the Greenidge Generating Station on Seneca Lake has been criticized for damaging the local environment since 2020 when it began crypto mining at the facility. The company has been engaged in a multiyear legal battle with the Department of Environmental Conservation, with both sides claiming victory in a ruling last year.
In a similar vein, a recent proposal by tech company TeraWulf would convert the former Cayuga Power Plant on Cayuga Lake into an AI data center.
This is the second time a Terawulf affiliate has attempted a move like this, with a proposal to make the Milliken Station facility, also located on Cayuga Lake, into a crypto mine in 2022. The company also already operates a data center campus on the shores of Lake Ontario, north of Buffalo.
Controversy over the expansion of the Seneca Meadows landfill is also cited as an environmental issue by rally organizers. The landfill was set to reach capacity at the end of 2025, but an extension and modification of the permit would add 15 years to its life. Voices on both sides are arguing for its closure and continued operation. In August, it was reported that the DEC was still reviewing the permit renewal application.
Rally organizers point to these examples as evidence of waning support from New York’s leadership and accuse Gov. Kathy Hochul of abandoning climate laws. They say this event will be a signal to block corporate polluters and protect New York’s natural resources and economic vitality.
The Sun Day rally will be held at the Finger Lakes Welcome Center in Geneva on Sunday Sept. 21 at 1:00 p.m.
Jacob Schermerhorn is a Rochester Beacon contributing writer and data journalist.
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