Greenidge Generation has filed an emergency request (see below) with the New York State Supreme Court to delay a Department of Environmental Conservation administrative hearing, allowing the company time to appeal a recent ruling. The appeal follows Judge Vincent Dinolfo’s November 14 decision in the ongoing case regarding the facility’s operations.
Under state law, the Dresden plant is allowed to continue functioning while the DEC hearing is pending. The company’s emergency request seeks to extend its operational timeline, pending an appeal to the Appellate Division Court, Fourth Judicial Department, in Rochester. If granted, this delay would allow Greenidge to continue generating power and mining cryptocurrency during the legal process.
Opponents of Greenidge were not happy with the filing.
“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 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 the Committee to Preserve the Finger Lakes.
“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.”
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.
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