Nashville, Tennessee might be the home of American country music, but in the eastern county of Washington, residents are under aural assault by the churn of a round-the-clock Bitcoin mining operation.
Local electric utility company BrightRidge leases the property in question to Bitcoin mining outfit Red Dog Technologies.
The county is now filing a lawsuit against both Red Dog and BrightRidge to shut down the mine. The case kicks off today and may take three days to conclude. Judge John Rambo is tasked with deciding the verdict.
Red Dog’s mining operation first hit local news last October when a resident filed a civil lawsuit complaining that the mine “unreasonably interferes” with their “use and enjoyment” of their property.
The mine runs from 8 PM to 2 PM on weekdays. After 8 PM on Fridays, it mines Bitcoin nonstop throughout the weekend. Residents complain of a “loud hum” coming from the facility.
Tennessee county takes on Bitcoin miner
The mine has been in local Mayor Joe Grandy’s crosshairs since last summer when the district’s planning administrator informed him that the mine didn’t comply with zoning regulations and the county could shut it down through the courts.
Grandy, who represents the county on BrightRidge’s board of directors, was apparently hesitant to take action. Last autumn, the county’s planning commission voted unanimously to shut down the facility if the power company failed to comply.
Should the county succeed in shutting down the mine, the case could set a precedent for many other regions across the U.S. where mining operations are cropping up.
