Yates County Supreme Court Judge Daniel Doyle heard arguments Tuesday in an Article 78 action brought by those opposed to the Greenidge LLC crypto currency mining operation on Seneca Lake in the town of Torrey.
The arguments focused on the effort to stop construction of the expanded Bitcoin mining operation. The petitioners claim the town of Torrey did not assess the adverse environmental impact of the Bitcoin mining. Judge Doyle has not said when a ruling might be forthcoming.
In a statement, Seneca Lake Guardian President Joseph Campbell said “we hope that Judge Doyle will rule in our favor to stop Greenidge Generation LLC from filling the Finger Lakes with 32,500 climate-killing Bitcoin machines. Mining is a cancer on our communities that’s destroying our natural resources, kneecapping local businesses, and keeping New York from meeting the crucial climate goals outlined by the CLCPA. That’s why we’re also calling on the DEC to deny Greenidge’s air permit renewal and Governor Hochul to impose a moratorium on Bitcoin mining until we can properly assess the environmental, economic, and public health impact. New York cannot be the wild west for this dangerous industry.”
Seneca Lake Guardian says over a thousand organizations, businesses, environmental activists and others have taken action against crypto currency mining in New York in the past year.
Seneca Lake Guardian is urging Governor Hochul to place a moratorium on proof-of-work crypto mining with dozens of environmental organizations in the Stop Proof-of-Work Crypto Coalition including Earthjustice, NYPIRG, Sierra Club, and Food and Water Watch. There is a bill before both houses of the State Legislature that would place a statewide moratorium on proof-of-work crypto mining: S6486C and A7389B.
