New Arkansas laws regulate cryptocurrency mining

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has signed two laws regulating cryptocurrency mining in Arkansas, following months of outcry from lawmakers and their constituents.

Much of the push for mining regulation comes from a woman named Gladys Anderson. She lives next to a crypto mine in Bono, a neighborhood near Greenbrier. It’s a rural farming community, where residents say they woke up one day to hear a constant shrieking and humming sound coming from the mine.

Anderson lives closest to it, just a few hundred feet away. Her story has since gone national; speaking on CBS News, she called the noise “torture.”

New Arkansas laws regulate cryptocurrency mining

Crypto company wins judgment in lawsuit against Arkansas County

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

A settlement has been reached in a case between Arkansas County and Jones Digital, LLC, a company which owns a cryptocurrency mine in DeWitt.

On Wednesday, the county agreed to a consent decree allowing the mine to resume operations and ordering the county to pay $90,000. This comes as two new laws regulating cryptocurrency mining in Arkansas passed in the state legislature.

Nearby residents allege the mine is loud and has unclear ties to foreign governments. Last October, the Arkansas County Quorum Court attempted to pass an ordinance banning noise above 55 decibels during the day and 45 decibels at night. Jones Digital then sued the county, represented by Little Rock-based law firm Wright Lindsey Jennings.

Crypto company wins judgment in lawsuit against Arkansas County

Arkansas House adopts crypto mining resolutions

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

The Arkansas House has adopted two resolutions opening the door for new regulations on cryptocurrency mines.

The resolutions don't mean the bills will ultimately pass but they do allow members to discuss them in committee. The House and Senate are currently in a fiscal session. For each chamber to take up a non-budget bill, they must first get a resolution adopted by a two-thirds vote.

Six other resolutions to regulate crypto mines failed on the House floor Wednesday.

The mines have prompted complaints over noise and energy usage in rural Arkansas communities. There have also been their concerns about their alleged ties to overseas organizations and foreign governments.

Arkansas House adopts crypto mining resolutions

Arkansas House

On Wednesday, representatives in the Arkansas House passed two resolutions as they work to regulate crypto mines.

Residents of two Arkansas towns fight against crypto mines

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

In DeWitt last year, a series of computers lined up in a space just smaller than a football field cropped up on an open plain on the edge of the town.

Crypto mines are large groups of computers designed to generate cryptocurrency. They are made up of rows of humming metal boxes.

The mines are controversial. The New York Times has reported crypto mines aren't great for the environment, all the mines in America could together power 1.5 million homes. Reports have linked some crypto mines to China and the Chinese government, making some residents squeamish. Sometimes animals run when they are turned on.

But for many people, the issue is just the noise.

Residents of two Arkansas towns fight against crypto mines

Josie Lenora/Little Rock Public Radio

A crypto mine in DeWitt in January. The barriers around the mine sustained mild storm damage.

Sound complaint lawsuit against Arkansas crypto mine company continues

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

Several Arkansans who live near a cryptocurrency mines are suing to stop the noise.

Crypto mines are large groups of computers designed to harvest cryptocurrency. They typically take up a full plot of land the length of a house. The noise from fans needed to keep the computers cool can be quite loud, emitting a constant high-pitched humming sound, audible from several blocks away.

Members of the Bono community of Greenbrier and Damascus are suing Newrays One LLC, one of many companies operating crypto mines in Arkansas. Residents seek punitive damages and are asking the company to stop mining in their community. The lawsuit alleges they are breaking sound laws and behaving negligently by not showing concern for their neighbors.

Sound complaint lawsuit against Arkansas crypto mine company continues

Mark Lennihan/AP

In this 2014 file photo, a man arrives for the Inside Bitcoins conference and trade show in New York.

Rural Arkansas 'crypto mines' prompt noise complaints from residents

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

Last month, Gladys Anderson, who lives in the Bono community in Greenbrier, started hearing a loud, unbearable sound.

A constant high-pitched hum, ranging from 60 to 70 decibels, is coming from a cryptocurrency mine built less than a half-mile away from her house.

Crypto mines are large collections of computers built to harvest cryptocurrency, a completely digital form of money not reliant on any central authority. The computers in Greenbrier are surrounded by a tall, opaque orange fence and signs that say “no trespassing.”

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2023-06-29/rural-arkansas-crypto-mines-prompt-noise-complaints-from-residents

Josie Lenora/KUAR News

A black gate marks the entrance to a cryptocurrency mine in the Bono community of Greenbrier. A nearby resident complains the mine emits a constant, unbearably loud noise.