Finger Lakes environmental groups are demanding faster action in the state’s case against a gas-fired cryptomining plant on Seneca Lake.
Seneca Lake Guardian, the Committee to Preserve the Finger Lakes, Fossil Free Tompkins, and the Sierra Club filed a motion today urging the Department of Environmental Conservation’s administrative court to wrap up evidentiary hearings on Greenidge Generation by the end of the year. They say repeated delays — three this summer alone — let the plant keep running on a denied air permit while emitting hundreds of thousands of tons of greenhouse gases.
Greenidge has operated nearly nonstop since 2019, increasing its annual CO2 emissions from about 39,000 tons to more than 417,000 tons in 2024, according to the groups. They accuse the company of using legal tactics to stall accountability and fault Governor Kathy Hochul for allowing the delays.
The DEC previously denied Greenidge’s air permit renewal, saying it violated the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. A Yates County Supreme Court judge upheld that decision but allowed Greenidge another chance to present evidence. Since then, the plant has repeatedly sought adjournments.
Advocates argue that the state should prioritize renewable projects instead of fossil-fueled cryptomining and that continued delays harm both the climate and local communities.
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