Cryptominer Greenidge Tries to Gift Finger Lakes Community with Years of More Litigation

Today, climate-killing cryptominer Greenidge Generation filed an emergency request with the New York State Supreme Court to delay legal proceedings in its ongoing battle for an air permit renewal to continue cryptomining. This is part of Greenidge’s long-term strategy to drag out court proceedings over the span of multiple years, forcing the surrounding Finger Lakes community to endure the cryptomine’s constant noise, air, and water pollution — all while it continues to operate without a valid air permit. The emergency request asks to delay Greenidge’s administrative court hearing within the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) while the cryptomine seeks to appeal the Yates County Supreme Court order issued in November. State law allows Greenidge to continue operating while the DEC’s administrative court hearing is pending. Granting Greenidge’s emergency request would extend the period Greenidge can continue to operate by years.

Greenidge’s latest move comes just over a month after a Yates County Supreme Court judge ruled that the DEC can deny permits to operations like Greenidge’s cryptomine for violating New York’s climate law, the CLCPA, and found that Greenidge’s operations were inconsistent with the CLCPA. The judge also allowed Greenidge to return to the lower administrative court to present more evidence on whether its continued operation is justified. Before that, in May of this year, Greenidge Generation received its third and final decision from the DEC denying the air permit after appealing to the agency twice.

“This emergency filing is yet another one of Greenidge’s transparent attempts to drag this case on as long as possible so it can boost cryptomining profits at the expense of the hardworking Finger Lakes residents we represent,” said Mandy DeRoche, a deputy managing attorney in the Clean Energy Program at Earthjustice. “As the Supreme Court judge stated clearly last month, Greenidge’s cryptomining operations are inconsistent with the CLCPA. Rather than return to the administrative proceedings as ordered by the Court, Greenidge has instead responded by weaponizing the legal process with an emergency request right before the holidays.”

“Greenidge declared victory for itself with the state court decision, then turned around and appealed and requested a stay — all to delay, delay, delay and keep killing our climate in the meantime. Their tactics are obvious and disgusting. In 2023, Greenidge emitted 818,260,817 CO₂ Equivalents into our atmosphere to make fake money and help a few rich people get even richer. Its abuse of the climate law and its efforts to gut it should alarm everyone. Greenidge’s filing today is just another slap in the face, and we will continue to fight back until Greenidge shuts down for good,” said Yvonne Taylor, vice president of Seneca Lake Guardian.

“The Greenidge company couldn’t care less for the health of Seneca Lake and the people who live around it, and will continue to poison the region with its emissions — just to mine Bitcoin for wealthy speculators,” said Roger Downs, conservation director of the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter. “The Supreme Court already saw through the out-of-state polluter’s erroneous claims and we hope today’s ridiculous filing will be similarly rebuffed. But regardless of these judicial victories, Greenidge Generation continues to operate, profit, and pollute while it exploits the State’s long appeals process. True justice will only come when the plant shuts down for good.”

“The Finger Lake communities surrounding the Greenidge Generation cryptomining operation have had enough of the corporation’s nonstop abuse. Impacted community members have been sounding the alarm on the disastrous impacts of the Greenidge cryptomine on their water, air, and climate. They’re completely fed up. Greenidge’s filing today is absolutely outrageous and unacceptable. We are prepared to continue to keep advocating because we are on the side of right and we will prevail,” said Abi Buddington, of Committee to Preserve the Finger Lakes.

Earthjustice represents Seneca Lake Guardian, the Committee to Preserve the Finger Lakes, Fossil Free Tompkins, and the Sierra Club. These groups are fighting to protect the upstate communities they serve from the harmful polluting impacts of the Greenidge operation.