Environmental advocates and Assemblymember Anna Kelles are urging the state to wrap up evidentiary hearings this year in Greenidge Generation’s bid to keep operating its gas-fired cryptocurrency mining plant.
During a virtual press conference Tuesday morning, groups including Seneca Lake Guardian, the Committee to Preserve the Finger Lakes, Fossil Free Tompkins, and the Sierra Club announced they’ve filed a motion to expedite the hearings. That request comes after Greenidge was granted another delay of proceedings that were set for August 5–7.
In a statement, Greenidge countered that environmental groups are partly responsible for the lengthy process. “In 2023, there were Administrative Law Judge hearings in process to review our permit appeal. It’s now 2025, and the exact same hearings are in process in front of the very same Administrative Law Judge. The reason for the multi-year delay, Earthjustice filed a motion in 2023 to end the appeal process, and the motion was granted. We sued, and the courts said the permit denial was invalid in part due to those hearings never taking place, and now we are right back where we were in 2023. It’s comedic they are blaming the length of the process on anyone but themselves. We remain ready as we have been since day one to enter into a strong new permit with a significant reduction in emissions, fully consistent with the Climate Act.
This summer alone, hearings have been postponed three times.
The case is being heard in the Department of Environmental Conservation’s administrative court, following a November 2024 Yates County Supreme Court decision in Greenidge’s appeal. That ruling upheld DEC’s denial of the company’s air permit renewal under New York’s climate law — a decision that has already been affirmed by three separate administrative court rulings.
Have all the Finger Lakes news from Finger Lakes News Radio delivered to your email every morning for FREE! Sign up by clicking here
