Skip to content
DiSanto Propane (Banner)
Home » Valentine's Day » Democrats, Republicans unite against Greenidge: Supervisors, party leaders ask for Hochul to deny air permit immediately

Democrats, Republicans unite against Greenidge: Supervisors, party leaders ask for Hochul to deny air permit immediately

Party leaders and elected officials in Seneca County are taking a stand against Greenidge Generation.

In a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul and Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos, the supervisors outlined their concern about ‘lack of action’ in delaying deadlines for Dresden’s power plant permit renewals.


“As we wrote in our October 2020 letter to NYSDEC Acting Regional Director Timothy Walsh, we continue to unanimously oppose the continued operation of the cryptocurrency mining operation on Seneca Lake,” the letter reads.

Seneca points to steps it has taken to protect the lakes and watershed, including ‘strict’ septic inspection laws to improve water quality for Seneca and Cayuga lakes.

Seneca County sits between both bodies of water, which provide a significant amount of drinking water for the region.

“We have increased funding for the inter-municipal watershed organizations that advocate for our lakes so that they can have the greatest possible impact,” the letter continues. “We are holding up our end of the deal to protect our environment and honor the state’s climate goals. We ask that you hold up the state’s end of the deal by denying Greenidge Generation’s air permit applications and signing the bill that issues a moratorium on these kinds of cryptocurrency operations.”

After that letter was sent to Hochul, leaders of the Democrat and Republican committees unified against Greenidge.

Republican Committee Chair Tom Fox and Democrat Committee Chair Dave Wood issued a joint statement, acknowledging their differences on many issues, but joining forces to oppose crypto mining in the Finger Lakes.

RELATED: Crypto mining moratorium approved by lawmakers in New York after shocking early-morning vote

“When it comes to protecting Seneca Lake and Cayuga Lake, we are united,” the joint statement begins. “WE come together today in this bipartisan effort to call on Governor Hochul and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to deny the air permits for Greenidge Generation’s cryptocurrency power plant in Dresden, New York.”

They point to the role of Seneca and Cayuga lakes in providing clean drinking water for hundreds-of-thousands of residents in the Finger Lakes region.

DiSanto Propane (Billboard)

“While we are both proudly pro-business, there comes a point where the exploitation of our natural resources goes too far,” the joint statement continues. “The continued operation of Greenidge Generation’s cryptocurrency mining operation threatens the health of Seneca Lake and is not consistent with character of our communities or the nature of our thriving tourism industry. The Greenidge plant offers no practical benefit to the residents of Seneca County and its continued operation will only harm the residents and visitors that cherish the lake as we do.”

They cited the commitment by the Seneca County Board of Supervisors as a driving force for their joint statement. “We, as county party leaders, affirm their action and ask our state leaders to honor the wishes of the pope of Seneca County by denying Greenidge’s air permit applications,” the two continued. “It is not often that we find common ground, but we hope that the governor takes notice that we stand united in Seneca County in preserving the wonder and beauty of the Finger Lakes.”

Categories: DresdenEnvironmentNewsPoliticsSeneca CountyYates County

Top