A State Supreme Court judge in Yates County has dismissed a motion to halt Greenidge Generation’s cryptocurrency mining operation expansion near Seneca Lake.
On Thursday, April 7, Judge Daniel Doyle dismissed a motion to bring forth an Article 78 proceeding against Greenidge Generation, the town of Torrey, and the Torrey Planning Board, according to WENY.
Doyle also denied a request for a preliminary injunction to prevent Greenidge from moving forward with its expansion, which was approved by the town of Torrey last year. He wrote that “petitioners have failed to establish that they would suffer an environmental injury different from that suffered by the general public,” noting none of the petitioners live within 2,000 feet of the project site.
The lawsuit had 33 petitioners, including the Seneca Lake Guardian, Sierra Club, and Committee to Preserve the Finger Lakes.
The motion filed by environmentalists argued the Torrey Planning Board did not adequately follow State Environmental Quality Review requirements before approving Greenidge’s expansion, according to Finger Lakes Times. Doyle said petitioners failed to establish substantial evidence that the Board’s decision did not follow state guidelines as they claimed.
Greenidge President and CEO Dale Irwin applauded the court’s decision, noting this is the fifth consecutive court ruling in Greenidge’s favor.
It is not known whether Judge Doyle’s decision will be appealed by opponents.
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