Scammers and grifters are deliberately driving the environment off the cliff while we choke on the fumes.
However, Panther Creek alone has had 15 air quality violations since 2018. Thirteen of those violations are for not doing air quality tests. DEP’s files, which are available to the public but are not found on the application page, show that Panther Creek has eleven unresolved air quality violations. The first dates back to Oct. 2018. Steve Welsh, a Carbon County resident, admonished Panther Creek and DEP for endangering residents for multi-millionaires’ benefit. “We’re fighting for clean air, they’re earning a paycheck. At the town council meeting, I wanted to lean into the point that we are having this conversation for the glory of mining bitcoin. This is an electrically wasteful process that enriches a few to the detriment of our communities,” said Welsh. Cryptocurrency mining takes a lot of computer power and is taxing on the environment, according to The White House. As of Aug. 2022, they estimate that crypto-assets cost between 120 and 240 billion kilowatt-hours per year.
Panther Creek Power Plant is located between Wilkes-Barre and Allentown in Carbon County.
They snuck this through during the holiday season. And so now if you have a problem with this you can only email the PA DEP and contact your elected representatives – especially at the Pennsylvania state level.
Wilkes-Barre, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is hosting a public hearing to take testimony from the public regarding Panther Creek Power Operating, LLC’s application for a plan approval to burn tire-derived fuel (TDF) as a supplemental fuel source at its facility in Nesquehoning, Carbon County. TDF is fuel made up of shredded scrap tires, and may be mixed with coal or other fuels.
My message to officials:
I think powering cryptocurrency should be prohibited as an activity that is dangerous to a livable environment. Burning tires to fuel cryptocurrency and power hogging scams generally is unacceptable.
I’m nostalgic for the days of “high frequency trading” waste at this point.