The state DEC says no decision will be made on a permit renewal for Greenidge Generation’s cryptocurrency mining operation on Seneca Lake until after the June primary elections.
Bloomberg reports both those in the cryptocurrency industry and environmental advocates see a decision on the Greenidge permit renewal as an indication of whether the state will allow mining operations at power plants such as the one in Dresden. In an email statement, the DEC said no decision would be released until after June 30. The agency did say Greenidge needs to take further action to reduce emissions.
“It is outrageous that Governor Hochul not only failed to act, but punted a decision to after the primaries in an apparent attempt to cover her political interests,” Yvonne Taylor, vice president of the non-profit group Seneca Lake Guardian, said in a statement. The DEC had been scheduled to rule on the permit renewal in January, but delayed its decision, saying it would decide March 31. While environmental groups are concerned about emissions from the large amount of electricity needed for cryptocurrency mining, Greenidge has said its Dresden plant is carbon neutral.
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