A member of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, Elizabeth Warren, expressed concern about the environmental impact of Greenidge Generation’s mining operations. She demanded that CEO Deffri Kirt provide detailed data on the company’s activities.
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In the senator’s view, electricity consumption in Bitcoin mining is comparable to the footprints of Denmark, Chile, Argentina, and the state of Washington.
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\”Annual consumption more than tripled from early 2019 to May 2021,\” Warren noted. \”… Emissions at the Dresden plant [Greenidge Generation facility in upstate New York] increased almost tenfold from 2019 to 2020.\”
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The senator cited data showing that last year’s figure was equivalent to emissions from 50,000 cars.
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\”Given the extremely high energy consumption and CO₂ emissions, mining operations at Greenidge and other facilities raise concerns about their impact on the environment, local ecosystems and electricity costs for consumers,\” the senator concluded.
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She demanded that the company’s management provide detailed information about its activities by December 17.
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In late 2020, three environmental organisations and more than 20 residents of the American town Torri sued the local administration and Greenidge Generation. The plaintiffs alleged that officials approved the expansion of the mining center without an environmental impact assessment.
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In May 2021, Greenidge Generation said that, from June 1, it would fully neutralise the carbon footprint from Bitcoin mining by purchasing CO₂ emissions allowances.
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In July, New York residents accused the company of environmental violations. Environmentalists pointed to rising water temperatures in Lake Seneca, but company representatives denied these claims.
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In October, Greenidge Generation reported 729 BTC mined in Q3 2021. In the same period the companyordered 22,500 devices for Bitcoin mining using the Antminer S19j Pro from Bitmain for deployment in Texas and the Carolinas.
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