The lawsuit alleges that Stronghold Digital uses waste coal and old tires to generate electricity and subsequently mine digital assets, releasing mercury waste into the atmosphere and local water bodies. Save Carbon demands compensation for environmental damage and payment of penalties from the mining company, and also intends to obtain a court order banning the activities of Stronghold Digital in the state of Pennsylvania.
Environmental activists plan to hold the state administration accountable for violations of constitutional duties on environmental protection. Save Carbon says the state government should be collectively punished for enabling Stronghold Digital through licenses and tax breaks.
Stronghold Digital Mining co-chairman and CEO Greg Beard denied Save Carbon's allegations in a press statement. He said his company is actually cleaning up the land and water in this area of Pennsylvania by disposing of industrial waste and coal waste left over from coal mining in the region.
“Thanks to Stronghold, tons of coal waste has been disposed of and more than 400 hectares of once-ruined land have been restored into sports fields, parks and fishing spots for local residents,” said the head of the mining company.
According to Save Carbon lawyer Aaron Freiwald, this is the first time in judicial practice that the Pennsylvania administration has been sued for violating the state's constitutional provision guaranteeing citizens the right to a clean environment. , demanding a ban on cryptomining.
A ruling in favor of the community group Save Carbon could set a dangerous legal precedent and encourage tougher policies and regulations on the environmental emissions of mining companies operating in residential areas.
A year earlier, the Board of Commissioners of McDowell County, the southernmost county in North Carolina, unanimously approved an extension of the moratorium on digital asset mining until May 2024 on grounds of climate violations and environmental damage.