Watkins does not pass resolution

WATKINS GLEN-- The Watkins Glen Board of Trustees voted 3-2 against supporting a resolution that would have formally asked Torrey to pass a moratorium on expanding the Bitcoin mining operation at the Greenidge Generation power plant during the Tuesday, April 6 meeting.
While the board formally voted against supporting the resolution, Mayor Luke Leszyk was implicit in that the rejection does not mean the board has formally taken a position on the matter.
"We don't have the data to say one side is right and one side is wrong," Leszyk said.
Beyond the lack of data, Leszyk expressed concern over setting a precedent of interfering with the governmental process of elected stakeholders in other municipalities.
"I know from our perspective I wouldn't want a resolution from Torrey saying we can't build a new waste treatment plant," Leszyk said.
Board member Laurie DeNardo, who was joined by Nan Woodworth in voting for the resolution, argued that concern over Seneca Lake alone was enough for Watkins Glen to get involved.
"We are not dictating what other towns are doing... this is about supporting other communities... we are telling people we are concerned about our community and our lake," DeNardo said.
Prior to the vote, the board allowed for a 30-minute public hearing where advocates for Greenidge and advocates for the moratorium were given 15 minutes each to state their case. Advocates of the moratorium argued that there is currently not enough information available regarding the environmental impact of returning billions of gallons of water annually to Seneca Lake heated up when cooling the power generation equipment.
Opponents of the expansion also argued Greenidge has been operating under permits from the Department of Environmental Conservation that were established before the mining operation was established.
Joseph Campbell, president of the Seneca Lake Guardian also argued the promise of high-tech jobs being created is misleading, as Bitcoin mining computers operate autonomously and only require physical maintenance.
Dale Irwin, CEO of Greenidge Generation spoke in favor of rejecting the resolution by arguing that legally Watkins Glen has no legal grounds to pass the resolution, and the moratorium even if it were passed, would also have no legal standing. He also said opponents of the expansion were being untruthful with their arguments, and that the presence of the mining operation should be seen as a positive.
"This would be a vote to stop all that progress and against the dozens of people who work here and shop in your stores and eat in your restaurants and have done nothing wrong," Irwin said.
Irwin also added that any environmental remediation and studies ordered by the DEC require a painstaking process that can take years. Greenidge is currently in the process of designing millions of dollars worth of remediation equipment and is acutely aware of the need to protect the local environment, Irwin said.
"The board took the time to listen to both sides, considered the facts and sent a clear message that our facility is an important part of the regional economy," Irwin said in a statement issued after the meeting. "We are providing good jobs, driving millions of dollars into local businesses, and supporting local governments and schools with a tax contribution that continues to grow."
Leszyk, however, said in the meeting that by rejecting the resolution Watkins Glen was not advocating for the Bitcoin mining expansion or the operation itself, and that he instead wanted to wait for more information as it becomes available before the village takes an official stance.
The board also discussed the state's recent decision to legalize the use of recreational marijuana. As it stands, the board has until Dec. 31 to pass a local law preventing the sale of marijuana in the village.
"We can go down that road and choose if we allow a dispensary in the village, but... just because you opt-out, someone can still use cannabis in the village," Leszyk added. "It would just be the sale, it would not be opting out saying (use of marijuana) is not allowed in the village."