ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — A cryptocurrency generation company with a power plant along Seneca Lake will be able to continue operating after a judge punted a previous permitting decision to the Department of Environmental Conservation Thursday. The DEC initially denied Greenidge Generation, LLC's Clean Air Act Title V permit renewal in 2022, saying the plant's operation posed a threat to New York State's climate harm reduction goals. According to court documents, a Thursday ruling invalidates the previous denial, instead sending the matter to the DEC for resolution. Environmental advocates have opposed the mining operation, which involves using powerful computer systems to solve math problems and generate new crypto coins. Reporting in 2021, the Associated Press said the Seneca Lake plant dedicated enough energy to Bitcoin to power more than 35,000 homes. In February, 2024, Greenidge settled with the Environmental Protection Agency over accusations that its Dresden plant failed to comply with groundwater monitoring systems, adequately prepare reports of the monitoring, and prepare plans for its coal ash impoundment while burning natural gas to generate electricity for bitcoin mining. Read the court ruling 2024_5221_Greenidge_Generation_L_v_Greenidge_Generation_L_DECISION_ORDER___JU_154Download