Environmental Debate: New York Crypto Mining Plant Permit Delayed

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) has delayed its decision whether it will allow crypto mining firm Greenidge Generation to continue to use its power plant in the town of Dresden for bitcoin mining, according to a recent report from Bloomberg.

The decision by the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation will now come by the end of March.

New York & The Environmental Debate
The decision is now expected to come by March 31, two months later than originally planned, the report said. The delay will reportedly help NYSDEC complete its review with public comments, citing a spokesperson’s position on the matter. On December 2, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) questioned the environmental footprint of Greenidge Generation’s (GREE) bitcoin mining operation in New York in a detailed letter.

The senator later targeted six more crypto miners, questioning their energy usage. On January 16, Greenidge said that due to high electricity demand resulting from recent cold weather, the company temporarily curtailed cryptocurrency mining operations in Dresden the day prior. This was done to supply all its electrical generation capacity to the New York Independent System Operator. The miner applied last year to renew its permits for the plant, the first time it’s come up for renewal since it has been powering bitcoin mining operations.