Water Use Issues at Greenidge Generating Station

Bitcoin Mining and Groundwater Contamination from Coal Ash

On Seneca Lake at the mouth of the Keuka Outlet in the Town of Torrey, NY

NYS DEC Air Permit Proceedings 2016-2021, Torrey Reconsiders Site Plan 2021, Yates County Site Plan Review 2021, Torrey Lawsuit 2020, Torrey Site Plan Reviews 2019-2020, NYS PSC Proceedings 2019-2020, NYS DEC Lawsuits 2016-2019, NYS PCS Proceedings 2015-2016, NYS DEC Water Permit Materials 2010-2021, Media Coverage

Greenidge Permits to Install Fish Screen Protections on Its Water Intake Pipe

On August 17, 2022, DEC announced that Greenidge had applied for two permits, an Article 15 Title 5 Excavation & Fill in Navigable Waters and a Section 401 - Clean Water Act Water Quality Certification. Comments are due very soon on Wednesday, September 1, 2022. The applications are to enable Greenidge to install cylindrical wedge wire intake screens (CWWS) at the Facility's existing cooling water intake structure and to repair the intake structure. The installation of the CWSS is a requirement of the Facility's SPDES permit. Peter Mantius has posted the excavation and fill application in his article about the installations, Will Greenidge Face Any Consequences For Missing Its Oct. 1 Deadline to Install Screens on Its Huge Water Intake Pipe? DEC has not yet responded to other requests for copies of the application materials, the Negative SEQRA Declaration and the dredging test well report.

Greenidge SPDES Permit Renewal in Progress

The expiration date of the most recent Greenidge SPDES permit is September 30, 2022. Greenidge filed its application to renew the SPDES permit on January 22, 2022. Two key conditions of the permit have not yet been implemented:
1.The Thermal Criteria Study was filed August 2022 one month before the expiration date of the permit. The study states, "The GGF thermal discharge was found to meet most of the relevant criteria throughout the year, however there were some criteria that were not met at all times: When criteria are not met an additional study to demonstrate that the standard is met may be conducted."
2. The final report for the Dilution Study Workplan is not due until June 30, 2023.

NYS DEC Air Permit Proceedings 2016-2022

Greenidge Letter to DEC Requesting Adjudicatory Hearing on the Denial of the Air Permits, July 28, 2022.

Greenidge’s Bitcoin Operation on Seneca Lake Loses its Bid for New Air Emissions Permit, Jeopardizing its Future Operation, Peter Mantius, Waterfront Online Blog, June 30, 2022.

DEC Letter to Greenidge Denying Air Permits, June 30, 2022.

Earthjustice et al. Letter to EPA Responding to Greenidge’s Supplemental Letter for Its Title V Application, April 20, 2022.

Greenidge Supplemental Letter to DEC regarding Its Title V Application, March 25, 2022.

Sierra Club, Earth Justice et al. comments on the draft permits, November 19, 2021.

Notice that DEC has determined that the Greenidge air permit applications are complete and has issued a Type II SEQRA determination was posted in the Environmental Notice Bulletin, Region 8 Notices, Yates County, on September, 8, 2021. A more complete notice with links to permits and an extension of the comment period is posted here.

Draft Air Title V Permit, unsigned and undated.

Draft Air Title IV Permit, unsigned and undated.

DEC General Conditions for Greenidge Air Permits Renewals, unsigned and undated.

Permit Review Report, September 9, 2021.

Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) Assessment, August 2, 2021.

Notice of Incomplete Application, Greenidge Station, May 3, 2021.

Air Permit Renewal Application, March 5, 2021.

Title IV (Phase II Acid Rain) and Air Title V Facility Permits
Title IV (Phase II Acid Rain) Permit
Permit ID: 8-5736-00004/00016
Effective Date: 04/25/2019 Expiration Date: 09/06/2021
Title V (Air) Facility Permit
Permit ID: 8-5736-00004/00017
Mod 0 Effective Date: 09/07/2016 Expiration Date: 09/06/2021
Mod 1 Effective Date: 04/25/2019 Expiration Date: 09/06/2021

Air Permit Review Report
Permit ID: 8-5736-00004/00017
04/30/2019

Greenidge Compliance EPA CCR Closure of Coal Ash Pond 2022

Both Greenidge Generating Station, which has an onsite coal ash pond and Lockwood Coal Ash Landfill are required to comply with EPA's Coal Ash Residual (CCR) requirements. On January 11, 2022, EPA issued an interim decision requiring Greenidge to close its coal ash storage pond. Comments on the interim decision are due by February 23, 2022.

EarthJustice et al. Comment Letter to EPA on Interim Decision regarding Proposed Date to Cease Receipt of Waste, February 23, 2022.

EPA moves to crack down on dangerous coal ash storage ponds, Matthew Daly/AP, NewsNation, January 11, 2022. "The Greenidge Generation plant in Dresden, New York, was ruled ineligible for an extension."

EPA Interim Decision on Proposed Date to Cease Receipt of Waste for Greenidge Generation LLC Based on Interim Ineligibility Determination, January 11, 2022.

Detailed Facility Report for Greenidge Generation LLC, EPA's Envorcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO).

Greenidge Generation LLC CCR Rule Compliance Data and Information, website required by EPA rules to be maintained by Greenidge. Contains the following documents:

Greenidge 103f Demonstration, November 30, 2020.
Greenidge CCR Rule Initial Notifications, November 30, 2020.
Greenidge – Written Closure Plan, November 2020.
Monitoring System Certification, November 24, 2020.
Statistical Methods Certification, November 24, 2020.
Greenidge – C-Pond Post-Closure Plan, November 2020.
Liner Documentation Certification, November 20, 2020.
Location Restrictions Certification, November 16, 2020.
Fugitive Dust Control Plan, November 2020.
2020 – Greenidge CCR Annual Groundwater Monitoring Report, January 2021.
2021 – C-Pond Closure Progress Report, November 29, 2021.
2021 Greenidge Annual Dust Control Report, December 2021.
2022 EPA Decision on Greenidge Part A Demonstration, January 11, 2022.
2021 Annual Groundwater Monitoring and Corrective Action Report, January 2022.

Detailed Facility Report for Lockwood Hills Coal Ash Disposal Site, EPA's Envorcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO).

Lockwood Hills LLC Combined Coal Residuals (CCR) Rule Compliance Data and Information, website required by EPA rules to be maintained by Lockwood.

Lockwood Coal Ash Landfill SPDES and Part 360 Permit Renewals

Modified and renewed SPDES permit issued 5/18/22 effective 07/01/2022, expiration 06/30/2027.

Comment letter on draft SPDES permit and Type II SEQRA determination, submitted by Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter, Seneca Lake Guardian, the Committee to Preserve the Finger Lakes, Cayuga Lake Environmental Action Now (CLEAN), South Shore Audubon, Stop the Algonquin Pipeline Expansion, Grassroots Environmental Education, NYPAN Environmental Committee, People for a Healthy Environment, Inc. and Fossil Free Tompkins, January 7, 2022.

Click here for additiional materials on the Lockwood permits. Lockwood Hills LLC, the owner of Lockwood landfill, and Greenidge Generation LLC, the owner of Greenidge Generating Station, are both subsidiaries of Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc. For details of the corporate structure, see the Form S-1 Registration Statement filed by Greenidge Holdings with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 20, 2021.

Securities and Exchange Commission Filings

SEC Filings posted on the Greenidge Investor Relations website.

See particularly Registration Statement filed September 1, 2021.

Town of Torrey Planning Board Reconsiders Its Site Plan Review

Amended Site Plan Approval Resolution, approved by the Town of Torrey Planning Board, April 19, 2021.

EAF Part 3, approved by the Town of Torrey Planning Board, April 19, 2021.

EAF Part 2, approved by the Town of Torrey Planning Board, April 19, 2021.

EAF Part 1, prepared by Greenidge Generation, August 17, 2020.

Yates County Planning Board Review of Data Center Expansion

Yates County Planning Board Decision recommending denial of Greenidge Site Plan, January 28, 2021.

Court Filings in Sierra Club et al. v. Town of Torrey et al., challenging Town's Site Plan Approval for Data Center Expansion Project

Yates County Supreme Court, Index No. 2020-5198

Court Decision, April 7, 2022.

Article 78 Petition filed December 17, 2020. Case filings linked on Court website.

Town of Torrey Planning Board Site Plan Review of Data Center Project 2019-2020

Proposed Data Center Expansion

Town of Torrey Planning Board Final SEQRA Determination, November 16, 2020.

Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter comments to Town of Torrey Planning Board on Conditioned Negative Declaration, November 6, 2020.

Committee to Preserve the Finger Lakes comments to Town of Torrey Planning Board on Conditioned Negative Declaration, November 5, 2020.

Don't Let Greenidge Gear Up Its Bitcoin Mining Facility, Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter Action Alert, October 31, 2020.

Committee to Preserve the Finger Lakes report on Town of Torrey Planning Board Meeting, October 12, 2020.

Notice of 30-Day Comment Period on Conditioned Negative Declaration for Greenidge Expansion Plan, Environmental Notice Bulletin, October 7, 2020.

EAF Part 2 and Part 3 approved by the Town of Torrey Planning Board, September 23, 2020.

Minutes of Planning Board Meeting on September 21, 2020.

Letter from the Committee to Preserve the Finger Lakes to the Planning Board about temperature measurements in the Keuka Outlet, September 17, 2020.

Community Noise Assessment, Aurora Acoustical Consultants, undated.

EAF Part 1 filed by Greenidge Generation LLC, June 30, 2020.

Application for Site Plan Review filed by Greenidge Generation LLC, June 30, 2020.

Minutes of Planning Board Meeting on October 14, 2019.

EAF Part 2 and Part 3 approved by the Planning Board on October 14, 2019.

EAF Part 1 filed by Greenidge Generation LLC, June 27, 2019.

Media Coverage of Greenidge Issues 2015 - 2021

Click here for list of media coverage of issues with Greenidge Generating Station.

 

Greenidge Cooling Water Intake Pipe in Seneca Lake

Public Service Commission Proceedings on Greenidge Data Center Operations 2019-2020

PSC Declaratory Ruling on Greenidge Petitions, June 11, 2020.

Case No. 20-E-0044, Petition of Greenidge Generation LLC for a Declaratory Ruling Concerning the Furnishing and/or Sale of Unmetered Electric Power to Tenants Leasing Space at the Greenidge Site and Alternate Petition for Amendment of Its Section 68 Certificate to Permit such Furnishing and/or Sales, January 28, 2020.

Case No. 19-E-0718, Petition of Greenidge Generation LLC for a Declaratory Ruling Regarding Jurisdiction and Continued Application of Lightened Regulation, November 7, 2019.

Court Filings Lawsuits Challenging Issuance of Permits for Greenidge Restart Project by NYS DEC 2016-2019

Click here for links to court filings.

Public Service Commission Proceedings on Repowering Greenidge Station 2015-2016

Cases 15-E-0516, 15-G-0571 and 15-T-0586

Order Denying Rehearing, December 15, 2016.

Oppostion to Rehearing Request, filed October 31, 2016.

Petition for Rehearing in Cases 15-E-0516 and 15-G-0571, filed October 17, 2016.

Ruling Concerning Party Status Requests, December 28, 2015.

Supplemental comments filed by the Committee to Preserve the Finger Lakes, November 23, 2015.

Comments filed in support of party status application by the Commitee to Preserve the Finger Lakes, November 9, 2015.

Case No. 15-E-0516, Petition of Greenidge Generation LLC for an Original Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity and Lightened Regulation, September 10, 2015.

Case No. 15-G-0571, Petition of Greenidge Pipeline LLC and Greenidge Pipeline Properties Corporation for an Expedited Original Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity and for Incidental or Lightened Regulation, September 24, 2015.

Case No. 15-T-0586, Application by Greenidge Pipeline LLC; Greenidge Pipeline Properties Corporation to Construct a Fuel Gas Transmission Line, Containing Approximately 24,318 Feet of 8" Steel Pipeline, Located in the Towns of Milo and Torrey, Yates County, October 2, 2015.

New York State DEC Water Permit Materials 1977-2022

In reverse chronoligical order.

Greenidge Thermal Study Final Interim Report, May 25, 2022.

Mercury Minimization 2021 Annual Report, March 2022.

Greenidge SPDES Permit Renewal Application, January 22, 2022.

Mercury Minimization Program 2020 Annual Report, March 2021.

Thermal Discharge Study Plan, Revised December 2020.

Technology Installation and Operation Plan, November 2020.

DEC Letter approving Cylindrical Wedgewire Screen Pilot Study Final Report, August 7, 2020.

Cylindrical Wedgewire Screen Pilot Study Final Report, April 27, 2020.

Monthly Discharge Monitoring Reports for Outfall 1, (converted to XLSX), January 2018 - July 2020.

Monthly Discharge Monitoring Reports for Outfall 1A, (converted to XLSX), January 2018 - July 2020.

Monthly Discharge Monitoring Reports for Outfall 2, (converted to XLSX), January 2018 - July 2020.

Cylindrical Wedgewire Screen Pilot Study Plan Progress Report, October 31, 2019.

Dilution Study Workplan, September 27, 2019.

Modified SPDES Permit
Permit ID: NY-0001325
Mod 0 Effective Date: 10/01/2017 Expiration Date: 9/30/2022
Mod 1 Effective Date: 10/01/2019 Expiration Date: 9/30/2022

Cylindrical Wedgewire Screen (CWWS) Pilot Study Plan Progress Report, March 26, 2019.

DEC Approval of Cylindrical Wedgewire Screen (CWWS) Pilot Study Plan, April 2018.

Cylindrical Wedgewire Screen (CWWS) Pilot Study Plan, March 2018.

Thermal Discharge Study Work Plan, December 27, 2017.

Water Withdrawal Permit
Permit ID: 8-5736-00004/00015
Effective Date: 9/11/2017
Expiration Date: 9/30/2022

SPDES Permit Biological Fact Sheet - Cooling Water Intake Structure, September 7, 2017.

SEQRA Environmental Assessment Form, Part 2 (Identification of Potential Project Impacts) and Part 3 (Amended Negative Declaration), June 28, 2016.

SEQRA Environmental Assessment Form, Part 1 for the Greenidge Station SPDES Permit Modification, prepared by DEC as the Applicant, June 16, 2015.

Water Withdrawal Permit Application, May 28, 2013.

Design and Construction Technology Review, prepared for AES Greenidge as a requirement of SPDES Permit # NY-0001325 by ASA Analysis & Communication, Inc., Henningson, Durham & Richardson Architecture and Engineering, P.C., HOR Engineering, Inc. and Burns Engineering Services, Inc., August, 2010.

AES Greenidge Generation Station Impingement and Entrainment Characterization Study, prepared by Henningson, Durham & Richardson Architecture and Engineering, P.C. and HDR Engineering, Inc., April 29, 2010.

AES Greenidge Generation Station 2006-2007 Finfish Community and Waterbody Studies, prepared by Henningson, Durham & Richardson Architecture and Engineering, P.C. and HDR Engineering, Inc., April 29, 2010.

Recommendations for a Ground-Water Monitoring Program for Ash Ponds Located at Greenidge, Hickling, and Jennison Generating Stations, prepared for New York State Electric and Gas Corporation by Woodward-Clyde Consultants, October 1985.

NYSEG 316(a) Demonstration for Greenidge Station, August 1977.