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- 1 Citizens don’t see crypto mining adding any economic value to the community.
- 2 Large banks of computers are required to mine cryptocurrencies.
North Carolina’s Waynesville County has decided to ban crypto mining operations in the region. The decision comes over the annoying humming noise created by cooling fans used to keep the equipment cool. A crypto mine may contain hundreds or thousands of mining rigs that collectively generate a sound reaching up to 90 decibels.
There’s No Economic Value
Waynesville land-use administrator, Olga Grooman, told a local newspaper, The Mountaineer, that, “Cryptocurrency mining operations are housed in big warehouses. They are noisy, they don’t create jobs, they are usually based offshore, and they consume a lot of energy.” She added, “We propose to prohibit this use across all zoning districts.”
Complaints regarding crypto mines creating less economic value and more pollution are becoming common with the influx of miners. These facilities are allowed to operate at a distance of 750 feet from a neighboring property line. However, the sound from a facility can travel beyond this limit.
Waynesville’s planning board decided to take on the issue in September, receiving approval for the ban from the town council in October. The Mountaineer explains that officials faced issues with the first draft while defining cryptocurrencies. The phrase ‘data centers’ was inadvertently caught up in the ban. All crypto mines could be data centers, however, not all data centers are crypto mines.
American newspaper ‘The Washington Post’ investigated and reported a case from Murphy, North Carolina where the humming noise caused trouble to local denizens. They explained the sound resembles a jet plane. The news article included audio samples of the drone. The reporters added birds’ chirping to compare its soothing properties to the annoying buzz.
People also compared the sound with Niagra Falls. The mine runs non-stop throughout the year in a race to add blocks to a blockchain. Chinese crackdown on crypto assets caused several miners to migrate to sparsely populated areas in the United States.
Brenda Campbell of Wolfe County, Kentucky told a local newspaper about a data center operating nearby at a frequency of 50 to 60 Decibels. Though not ear-piercing, rural communities used to a quieter life are unable to resist it. However, there was no evidence regarding the data center mining digital assets there. However, the report mentioned a job listing that indicated a potential connection between the facility and crypto mining.
Available data highlights crypto miners tend to set up their shops in rural regions. Critics echo community sentiments with regard to delivering positive economic value through their operations. Moreover, the whole process is usually thought of as environmentally unfriendly.
A company usually requires large bank computers to solve complex mathematical problems to mine a certain cryptocurrency. Miners draw a massive amount of energy to keep the operations going. If a mine is harnessing from a renewable power source, it may not affect the environment. However, using electricity generated from fossil fuels adds to the global carbon footprint.
Anurag is working as a fundamental writer for The Coin Republic since 2021. He likes to exercise his curious muscles and research deep into a topic. Though he covers various aspects of the crypto industry, he is quite passionate about the Web3, NFTs, Gaming, and Metaverse, and envisions them as the future of the (digital) economy. A reader & writer at heart, he calls himself an “average guitar player” and a fun footballer.
