No to air pollution & burning tires for the benefit of cryptocurrency tycoons.
Cryptocurrency power hogging schemes are unacceptable.
My letter to Governor Josh Sharpiro, PA DEP public comment period, and other elected representatives:
Panther Creek Power Plant cannot be allowed to continue air pollution violations, and definitely should not be allowed to burn tires. Power plants are meant to be infrastructure to benefit the human communities and should not be allowed to be allocated for the benefit of adding to the wallets of cryptocurrency tycoons and the spreadsheets of digital corporations. Our environment and our future is more important than some scam coin and the big shots who get rich off this pointless scheme.
(Feel free to steal my letter and repurpose it for your own letters to reps.)
Panther Creek Power Plant sure looks environmentally harmful.
The Panther Creek Power Plant in Carbon County Pennsylvania belongs to the parent company Stronghold Digital Mining with a website that actually makes the claim: “The only environmentally beneficial and vertically integrated public Bitcoin mining company.”
Cryptocurrency company responds to lawsuit By Isabela Weiss | WVIA News | Report for America Published April 18, 2024 at 4:15 PM EDT Panther Creek received 18 environmental safety violations since Stronghold took over in 2021. 17 of those violations are for air pollution. That data comes from the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) eFACTS website. However, Stronghold only lists eight violations on a recent DEP permit application. Panther Creek currently burns waste coal, but wants to add tire burning to the mix. The permit would allow it to use tire-derived fuel (TDF) to supplement 15 percent of its monthly electricity use by weight. [emphasis added]
PUBLIC HEARING NOV 4 & PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD
The hearing will be held at the Panther Valley Junior/Senior High School Auditorium, 912 Coal Region Way, Lansford, PA 18232 from 6:00 to 9:30 p.m.
Individuals wishing to testify at the hearing submit a written notice of their intent to Mark Wejkszner P.E, Northeast Region Air Quality Program Manager, Department of Environmental Protection, Air Quality Program, Wilkes-Barre Regional Office, 2 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701-1915 or call (570) 826-2511 or email mwejkszner@pa.gov.
Persons unable to attend the hearing can submit written testimony to the Department through December 28, 2024
Cryptocurrency CEO Greg Beard
Stronghold Digital Mining's CEO Greg Beard lists his location as New York, NY on twitter, where he was last active in December 2023 promoting carbon capture bullshit. His Linkedin says he has “more than 25 years experience investing in the Natural Resources sector”...
There are people organizing for the benefit of humans and the environment in Carbon County.
https://www.savecarboncounty.com/
I have no affiliation and no personal contact with the Save Carbon County organization. I found a link to their website on the PA Environment Digest Blog.
I’ve blogged about this before on tumblr, and will likely again.
