YATES COUNTY, N.Y. — There’s a courtroom battle underway that will decide the fate of a Bitcoin mining facility in Yates County.

Greenidge Generation LLC has been mining cryptocurrency at its power plant on the shores of Seneca Lake since 2019, but the state ordered it to shut down in 2022. The company has been operating while it appeals the decision in the court system.

Tuesday’s closing arguments are for the last-ditch legal efforts of Greenidge. If it loses, the doors will close at the end of the month.

Good Question: How does cryptomining affect the environment?

To “mine” crypto, you need a very powerful computer and a lot of power to run complicated programs. Greenidge was getting its power from a former coal power plant that the company converted to run on natural gas instead. It then uses that gas to power all the computers inside, getting this digital currency.

The facility and all the power it uses is the sticking point in this case. The company uses the lake to cool down computers, which warms the lake up. Natural gas is also a fossil fuel, which they’re burning a lot of right now.

Greenidge lost the battle for its air permit and has been told to close by the DEC, but it’s not going down without a fight. On Tuesday, the fight is for an injunction to buy some time.

Supporters say this is innovation and something we should be welcoming into the Finger Lakes. The Yates County Legislature signed on because it brought 45 high-paying jobs to the area. Those opposed stand on the environmental impact and the fact that the currency being mined likely won’t stay in Yates County.

Bitcoin and cryptocurrency work just like any other dollar, but they’re not accepted in most of the brick-and-mortar world. Most people see cryptocurrency as an investment because it’s unstable compared to other currencies, meaning the value can shoot up quickly. However, some major online spaces like Amazon, Microsoft, and PayPal do take it. You can even use it at Burger King.

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