The Local Edition

A major environmental fight is unfolding in New York over the future of the Seneca Meadows Landfill in Seneca Falls — the largest landfill in the state.

The landfill, originally expected to close in 2025, is now seeking state approval to remain open and expand operations through 2040. For environmental advocates, the proposal is about far more than one community. They argue it is a test of whether New York will continue relying on mega-landfills or move toward a different model of waste management.

To discuss the issue, Radio Catskill’s Patricio Robayo spoke with Yvonne Taylor, vice president of Seneca Lake Guardian.

Taylor described Seneca Meadows as a massive facility that already takes in about 6,000 tons of waste a day from 47 counties in New York, along with trash from other states and Canada. If approved, she said, the landfill would grow another seven stories higher and expand by 47 acres — becoming even more dominant over the surrounding landscape.

“This is already an enormous mountain of garbage,” Taylor said. “The proposal would make it even bigger, even taller, and keep it operating for another 15 years.”

For people living nearby, Taylor said the impacts are immediate and constant. Residents have long complained about overpowering odors, and she said schools located within a few miles of the landfill are sometimes forced to deal with the smell both outside and inside classrooms. She said families, teachers and students have reported headaches, nausea and difficulty concentrating.

But Taylor said the concerns do not stop at Seneca Falls.

She pointed to the landfill’s production of leachate — contaminated liquid created when rainwater filters through garbage. That leachate can contain PFAS, often called “forever chemicals,” along with other pollutants. According to Taylor, millions of gallons are shipped to wastewater treatment plants around New York, even though those facilities are not designed to remove many of those contaminants.

“This waste doesn’t just stay in one place,” Taylor said. “It moves through communities and into waterways across the state.”

She also argued the landfill’s methane emissions make it a broader climate issue. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and Taylor said large landfills like Seneca Meadows undermine New York’s climate goals while prolonging dependence on a throwaway waste system.

The proposed expansion is now being reviewed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation through the state environmental review process. Taylor said the agency has sent the application back for more information multiple times, but a final public comment period has still not yet begun.

When it does, advocates expect the fight to intensify.

Taylor said opponents want the landfill to close when it reaches capacity, not be allowed to expand again. She argues New York already has the framework for a different path, pointing to the state’s solid waste management plan, which calls for stronger recycling, waste diversion and a move toward a more circular economy.

“This is really a question about what kind of future New York wants,” Taylor said. “Do we keep expanding mega-landfills, or do we finally start reducing the waste stream and building a better system?”

For communities like Sullivan County, where trash is hauled long distances to disposal sites like Seneca Meadows, the outcome could carry consequences far beyond the Finger Lakes.

A new archival exhibit opening in Kingston will highlight the women who helped shape civic life in Ulster County, from some of the first women to register to vote to generations of local advocates who organized around issues affecting their communities.

The exhibit, “Women Shaping Democracy in Ulster County,” opens Wednesday at the Nina Postupack Archives Gallery on the second floor of the Ulster County Office Building at 244 Fair Street in Kingston. The event is free and open to the public.

The display features original voter registration books from the first elections after women gained the right to vote in New York in 1918, along with historical materials from the League of Women Voters of the Mid-Hudson Region and the Ulster County Archives.

Ashley Torres, commissioner of the Ulster County Board of Elections, said the idea for the exhibit grew out of a long-standing interest in preserving historical records that had remained largely out of public view.

“These are books that I’ve looked at for years,” Torres said. “They’ve been in our office for a long time, and I’ve always been interested in them.”

Torres said she began examining the records more closely around 2020 during the centennial of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote nationally. While reviewing one of the early registration books, she counted the names of the women who had signed up to vote in 1918.

Seeing those early records, she said, offered a powerful glimpse into the moment when women first began participating in elections in Ulster County.

The exhibit is also part of a broader effort to move older materials from the Board of Elections into the Ulster County Archives, where they can be preserved in a climate-controlled environment and made more accessible to the public.

Torres said the archives are better equipped to protect historic documents while also making them available to researchers and residents interested in local history.

Among the items on display are books documenting the first women voters in the county and materials tracing the work of the League of Women Voters in the Mid-Hudson region from the 1950s through today.

Torres said what she finds most compelling about the exhibit is that it highlights the role of everyday citizens in shaping democracy, not just elected officials.

“It’s about everyday citizens who took part in democracy, who voted, who worked together on a grassroots level to make the issues they cared about part of public life,” she said.

The exhibit also touches on how local women organized around issues such as environmental protection and child welfare, helping bring those concerns into the public sphere.

For Torres, the records also revealed a personal connection. While reviewing the voter books, she discovered the name of her own great-grandmother among the first women registered to vote in Ulster County.

“That made me really proud,” she said. “I think a lot of people would be interested in researching their own family ties if these records are digitized.”

County officials have discussed eventually digitizing the records, which could allow residents to search the historical documents online and explore their family histories.

Torres also pointed to a detail in the early voter books that she found especially meaningful: women were listed under their own names.

“When you look at our records, it is those women’s names,” she said. “Not Mrs. John Smith. It was their first name, their last name.”

That, she said, reflects the significance of the moment and the courage it may have taken for those women to register and vote for the first time.

“Being first is never easy,” Torres said. “It probably took a lot of courage to go and register and cast those first ballots.”

The exhibit opening will include remarks from Torres and Ulster County Clerk Nina Postupack. Organizers say they hope the display will encourage residents to reflect on the history of civic participation and the ongoing role local communities play in shaping democracy.

The exhibit will remain on display at the Nina Postupack Archives Gallery following the opening event.

Air quality has become an increasing concern across New York State in recent years, particularly after smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketed much of the region in 2023.

The hazy skies and air quality alerts that summer exposed gaps in how the state responds to dangerous air pollution events. Now advocates are urging lawmakers to pass legislation that would better prepare communities when the air becomes unsafe to breathe.

The proposed Hazardous Air Quality Emergency Preparedness Bill would define hazardous air quality events as a state-recognized disaster. Supporters say that designation would allow New York to coordinate resources and respond more quickly during events like wildfire smoke or industrial pollution spikes.

Max Micallef, New York State Advocacy Manager for Clean Air Initiatives with the American Lung Association, said the 2023 wildfire smoke highlighted how unprepared many communities were.

“In June of 2023 the Canadian wildfires were in full force and all of New York State was affected,” Micallef said. “The skies were red and orange and filled with fine particulate matter and other pollutants that worsen lung disease.”

Despite the scale of the event, Micallef said hazardous air quality is not currently included in New York’s legal definition of a disaster.

“In New York State we have things like tsunamis and volcanic activity listed as disasters, but we don’t have hazardous air quality,” he said. “That’s absolutely ridiculous.”

The bill, sponsored by Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas and Senator Pete Harckham, would change that by formally recognizing hazardous air events as disasters. That would give the governor authority to declare an emergency and release funding and resources to local communities.

Supporters say that designation would help municipalities respond more effectively by distributing protective equipment such as masks, improving air filtration systems in schools and senior centers, and ensuring the public receives timely health guidance.

The legislation would also require local governments to incorporate air quality emergencies into their comprehensive emergency management plans.

Health advocates say the stakes are high, especially for vulnerable populations.

“People with preexisting lung disease are going to be the most vulnerable,” Micallef said. “But we also see disproportionate impacts on communities that have historically faced higher levels of pollution.”

Supporters say climate change is increasing the likelihood of events that degrade air quality, including large wildfires. But the bill would also address industrial emissions spikes that can suddenly worsen air conditions.

While the legislation moves through the committee process in Albany, health experts say residents should stay informed about air quality conditions in their communities.

Micallef recommends monitoring local forecasts and air quality alerts and limiting outdoor activity when conditions become unhealthy.

“You can easily check air quality online by searching your city or town along with air quality,” he said. “And if you need to go outside during hazardous conditions, wearing a medical-grade mask can help reduce exposure.”

Advocates with the American Lung Association are encouraging New Yorkers to contact their state lawmakers and urge support for the bill as it moves through the legislature.

Supporters say stronger planning and coordination now could help protect communities from future air pollution emergencies.

“Clean air is not a luxury,” Micallef said. “It’s essential to the health and safety of every New Yorker

Photo by: natasaadzic from Getty Images

Under the Trump administration, every part of the country is confronting a massive uptick in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity that knows no legal bounds. Immigrant communities throughout the United States have been forced to live in fear amid constant ICE raids and especially following the murders of Minneapolis residents Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti. But ICE violence should not be isolated to this moment. 

Radio Catskill’s Julia Kim had the chance to speak with Angelo Guisado, an attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights who specializes in immigrants’ rights, and Weldon McWilliams, who serves as chair of one of the oldest Black Studies departments in the nation at SUNY New Paltz on how the history of ICE goes much deeper than what Americans are seeing right now and may be foundational to how we understand this country.

State Prison Officials Said an Employee Accused of Sexual Assault Didn’t Exist. We Found Him.