In a last-ditch effort to continue mining Bitcoin on Seneca Lake, the crypto mining operation Greenidge Generation has filed a lawsuit in Supreme Court, Yates County. Greenidge is seeking to continue cryptomining as they appeal the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) decision to deny its Title V Air Permit renewal application, arguing that the DEC should not be allowed to refuse permits based on the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) — New York’s climate law that the DEC is tasked with enforcing.

In May of this year, Greenidge Generation received their third and final decision from the DEC denying their Air Permit, after appealing to the agency twice. At that time, the DEC also decided that there were no further reasons for adjudication, thus concluding Greenidge’s administrative appeal.

Statement from Mandy DeRoche, Deputy Managing Attorney of the Clean Energy Program at Earthjustice:

“Greenidge Generation is operating in violation of the CLCPA, as stated by the DEC three times now, and should not be permitted to increase climate and local air pollution, as we try so hard to decrease GHG emissions in New York State. We are advocating on behalf of our clients, and we strongly oppose Greenidge’s continued attempts to pollute the Finger Lakes and the climate — and their broader attempts to gut the DEC’s authority.”

Background on Greenidge Generation and Cryptomining in New York

Greenidge Generation is a gas-fired power plant that previously only operated to provide power to New York’s grid in times of peak demand and was completely dormant with zero carbon emissions from 2011-2016. Now, it burns fracked gas 24/7/365 to mine Bitcoin. According to Greenidge’s own documentation, in 2023, the facility emitted nearly 800,000 tons of CO2 and CO2 equivalent, the same as more than 170,000 cars on the road. The climate-killing crypto mine has almost doubled its emissions in just four years, emitting 471,777 tons of CO2 and CO2 equivalent in 2020. These are just its direct emissions — the numbers would grow even more staggering adding in upstream emissions.

On June 30, 2022, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation issued a Notice of Denial of the air permit renewal for Greenidge Generation. Greenidge appealed that decision, and on September 26, 2023, an Administrative Law Judge found again that Greenidge Generation’s operations are inconsistent with the greenhouse gas emissions limits of New York’s Climate Law (CLCPA).

And again on May 8, 2024, the DEC denied Greenidge its Air Permit renewal. At that time, the DEC also found that there were no further reasons for adjudication, thus concluding Greenidge’s administrative appeal.