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

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.