1. “No new generation required”
"No new generation required; reallocating existing approved capacity (435 MW approved, 200 MW pending)."
The company says — May 21, 2026 minutes
The true part: the 435 / 200 split is the company's own accounting, faithfully quoted.
The open question: the minutes record the company's 435 / 200 split, but they do not provide the underlying contracts, interconnection records, or other public documentation showing where each block comes from or what “approved” means in practice.
2. “No discounted power rates. Paying full market rates.”
"No discounted power rates. Paying full market rates."
The company says — May 21, 2026 minutes
The true part: our own research points the same way — the operation appears to buy power off the wholesale grid, not cheap public dam power. We say so plainly.
The open question: "we pay market rates" is not the same as "your bill is safe." Massena Electric Department is a municipal utility running on cheap, locked-in NYPA hydropower — the same kind of low-cost public supply Plattsburgh, NY had before a crypto operation scaled up there, ate into the cheap allocation, and pushed the city over quota. Residents' bills spiked, and Plattsburgh became the first U.S. city to pause crypto mining.
Sources: Massena Electric Department, the Plattsburgh precedent, and the full citations →
3. “Employee count to increase to 200”
"Employee count to increase to 200; 2,000 construction jobs projected over 18-24 months. Tax contributions expected to increase 5x."
The company says — May 21, 2026 minutes
The true part: there are real jobs on that site today — about 60, by the company's own count — and jobs matter in Massena. We don't wave that away.
The missing history: in 2018, the site's prior operator, Coinmint, projected more than 150 Massena jobs within 18 months. WWNY reported 65 employees in 2020; the operation now reports about 60. NCCS says the operation received 235 MW instead of the 435 MW assumed in the earlier projection. Even on those numbers, it received more than half the expected power while delivering roughly two-fifths of the projected jobs. In Plattsburgh, Coinmint's two mines reportedly used about 10% of the city's low-cost power while employing 20 people or fewer.
The open question: Massena is now being asked to weigh 635 MW, up to two years of construction, and another projection of 200 employees. "Projected" and "expected" are not commitments. Nothing in the record makes the jobs or a 5× tax contribution enforceable if the numbers come in short.
Read the submitted jobs analysis →
4. “Closed-loop cooling system”
"Transitioned from open-loop to closed-loop cooling system… no water withdrawal/discharge from/to St. Lawrence River. Cooling system uses <4,000 gallons in a closed loop with glycol mix… They will be bringing water in from an approved outside party to fill up cooling tanks."
The company says — May 21, 2026 minutes
The true part: if it's real, a closed loop with no river withdrawal or discharge is the right direction. Credit where due.
The open question: it's a claim, not a verified design. The May record says less than 4,000 gallons in a single cooling loop, not the whole campus. The current project page describes a sealed, imported-water system but gives no campus-wide total. A full study should reconcile those descriptions with an itemized water accounting.
Read the submitted water analysis →
5. “Reduced from 316” — now described as 64
"Backup generators used for emergency situations, were reduced from 316 to 115; run only for maintenance (1 hr/month each) or emergencies (max 4 days/year)."
The company says — May 21, 2026 minutes
The true part: the May presentation described a reduction from 316 to 115. The applicant's current project page now describes a further reduction to 64 backup generators.
The open question: the current count and runtime limits remain company descriptions. The filed plans, air permits, and enforceable operating conditions need to show what will actually be installed and allowed.
6. “40 dB at nearest residences”
"Comprehensive studies show 40 dB at nearest residences (comparable to a refrigerator hum). Additional sound barriers and natural attenuation planned."
The company says — May 21, 2026 minutes
The true part: the company has committed to acoustic modeling, and sound barriers are a real mitigation tool.
The open question: 40 dB is already the threshold where the WHO says nighttime noise begins to harm health — so even the company's own best number sits at the line. And at a comparable crypto site in North Tonawanda, NY, a police study found the plant exceeded that city's 50 dB nighttime limit every night, drawing citations and a two-year moratorium. That's the comparison, not a Massena measurement — we're careful about that.
7. “Subject to extensive state and federal review”
"Subject to extensive state and federal review (SEQR, DOT, DEC, Army Corps, SHPO, tribal agencies)." … "Public hearing to be scheduled; notifications via town website, local paper, and Facebook."
The company says — May 21, 2026 minutes
The true part: yes — and that's a commitment we intend to hold them to.
The open question: "extensive review" only means something if the deepest tool in the box gets used. Under SEQR that's a Positive Declaration and a full Environmental Impact Statement — and no determination has been made yet. Meanwhile, the town's own notice record shows how easy these meetings are to miss: see the June 25 notice trail.
Agree these questions deserve answers? Put them on the record — it takes ~3 minutes →