Panther Creek Power Update

In early 2025, the current Administration allowed coal-fired and petrochemical facilities to request exemption from clean air rules. One of the plants that applied for and received that exemption was the Panther Creek Power Plant under the new owner and Bitcoin mining operator, Bitfarms. Bitcoin mining is unregulated in Pennsylvania, and in 2023, PA House Bill 1476 was introduced to establish guardrails for qualifying crypto-asset mining operations and impose duties on the Department of Environmental Protection. The Bill is stalled in the Pennsylvania Senate, and we need to call on our state Senators to move the Bill forward. In the same year that the Bill was authored, Panther Creek Power produced 430.4 tons of sulfur dioxide emissions and 291.5 tons of nitrogen oxide emissions and released 366.4 pounds of Mercury into local waterways. For every 100 tons of waste coal burned by the plant, 85 tons remain as toxic ash, which is deposited in a local abandoned coal mine. It seems that Panther Creek Power’s primary product is pollution. Save Carbon County has filed a lawsuit to stop this plant from continuing to emit toxins into our air and local waterways. The lawsuit is a lengthy process and has yet to reach a conclusion, but as luck would have it, the main boiler of the plant has been out of operation for the past month and is estimated to remain out of commission until early spring. Those residents affected by the dirty air from Panther Creek Power can enjoy an extended period of cleaner air, a right guaranteed by our Pennsylvania Constitution. In the meantime, as part of our air monitoring project, Save Carbon County members use a specialized monitor to measure current clean air levels so we can compare them with typical polluted air once the plant begins operation. The Panther Creek Power Plant has been granted a state permit to operate until April 30th of this year. At that time, the permit will be re-evaluated. The information that we are gathering will be key to that re-evaluation process. So that we can continue to monitor air quality, the status of important legislation, and share the results, please join or donate to Save Carbon County today - your support is vital to clean air and water!