Two environmental organizations filed a lawsuit in New York Supreme Court challenging the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) decision to authorize a Canadian cryptocurrency company’s acquisition of ownership interests in a company that owns and operates a natural gas plant in North Tonawanda. The organizations asserted that the PSC was required to analyze whether the cryptocurrency company’s plans to increase the plant’s operations to power cryptocurrency mining would interfere with attainment of the New York Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act’s (CLCPA’s) greenhouse gas emissions reductions mandates or disproportionately burden disadvantaged communities in violation of the CLCPA.

Lawsuit challenging the New York State Public Service Commission's decision to authorize a Canadian cryptocurrency company’s acquisition of ownership interests in a company that owns and operates a natural gas plant in North Tonawanda.

Clean Air Coalition of Western New York, Inc. v. New York State Public Service Commission

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Environmental Groups Challenged Authorization to Transfer Ownership Interests in Gas Plant to Cryptocurrency Company

Filed

United States of America

New York

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An aim to achieve a quantifiable outcome within a given time-frame, set by an institution such as a national government.

Policy instruments are techniques or tools used by governing authorities to promote certain policies in order to achieve predetermined goals. Put simply, instruments are how a government tries to achieve its goals, with this taxonomy being focused on national policy instruments.

Risk is the potential for adverse consequences resulting from the dynamic interplay between (climate-related) hazards, exposure, and vulnerability of affected human or ecological systems.

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Justice is the ethical and political framework that addresses fairness, including issues of responsibility, rights, and structural inequity.

Renewable energy means all forms of energy produced from renewable sources in a sustainable manner.

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Area of the economy in which actors engage in identical or related activities.

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The management and allocation of funds, assets and investments to meet various objectives

People who are less able to respond to the effects of climate change due to having limited financial or physical assets

A loan is a policy instrument where funds are provided to a borrower with the expectation of repaying the principal plus interest.

Zoning and spatial planning are both methods for guiding the distribution of people and activities in a space, and are regulatory restriction.

A target to reduce the prevalence of a greenhouse gas over a specific time frame

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Either money or something of monetary value is transferred between two or more organisations, people or countries.

Actions to adapt human health, healthcare systems and well-being to climate change.

The release of heat-trapping gases, primarily from human activities such as burning fossil fuels, agriculture and industry.

A long-lived, colourless gas, chiefly emitted from fossil fuel combustion, deforestation and cement production.

Risks to the ecosystem health of the marine environment, including ocean warming, ocean acidification, and ocean deoxygenation, harming biodiversity, species health, ecosystem services, and coastal community livelihoods.

Extreme weather refers to events where a weather variable exceeds (or falls below) a threshold. Meaning it is significantly different from the average or usual weather pattern.

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Environmental Groups Challenged Authorization to Transfer Ownership Interests in Gas Plant to Cryptocurrency Company

Target

Policy instrument

Risk

Impacted group

Just transition

Renewable energy

Fossil fuel

Greenhouse gas

Economic sector

Adaptation/resilience

Finance