Governor Hochul Abandons NY Climate Law and Communities in Back-Room Deal with Climate-Killing Cryptominer

On Friday, Governor Hochul and her Department of Environmental Conservation cut a back-room deal with climate-killing cryptominer Greenidge Generation, announcing a settlement agreement that would allow Greenidge to continue operating for at least five more years on the shores of Seneca Lake. The proposed settlement comes amid a years-long battle over an air permit renewal request that DEC first denied more than three years ago for being inconsistent with New York’s landmark climate law, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) — a decision the agency reaffirmed three more times, and a Supreme Court judge upheld.

The settlement stems from Greenidge’s case before the DEC, which was back in front of the administrative court and about to start evidentiary and witness hearings next week — after a state Supreme Court ruling last November allowed the company to present additional evidence challenging DEC’s many denials.

Statement from Liz Moran, New York Policy Advocate at Earthjustice: 

“Yet again, Governor Hochul has reversed course on her own climate actions and abandoned communities by settling with the crypto climate-polluter, Greenidge Generation. Just over three years ago, the Governor and her DEC were hailed for their scientifically based decision to deny the air permit renewal for Greenidge on the grounds that it was inconsistent with our climate law. They upheld that decision three times, until the past year when they began siding with the polluter to drag out litigation. By greenlighting this deal, Governor Hochul is allowing five more years of air pollution, prioritizing the profits of corporate polluters over the best interests of the public. Earthjustice will explore all legal options to ensure that the communities we represent are heard and the Governor stops abandoning the public, and our climate law, in favor of corporate polluters.”

For years, Greenidge has run its fossil-fueled cryptomine around the clock on the shores of Seneca Lake, spewing hundreds of thousands of tons of greenhouse gases and saddling nearby communities with harmful air, water, and noise pollution — all while operating on an expired and repeatedly denied air permit. After years of litigation, during which Greenidge was allowed to continue operations on its expired and denied permit because of a loophole in New York State law, Hochul has again abandoned New York’s climate commitments and impacted communities.

Last month, communities, advocates, and lawmakers called on Albany to rein in the growing harms of energy-hogging cryptomining in New York. They urged lawmakers to pass two landmark bills this session to protect New Yorkers from the harmful impacts of cryptomining and put the public good ahead of corporate profits.