A Crypto Mine Fails To Address Noise Pollution in Arkansas

Another crypto mining company has fallen under the regulatory eyes in Arkansas after residents registered complaints about power consumption, noise pollution, and more. The lawsuit was initially filed in July 2023 with Faulkner County Circuit Court. The next hearing is scheduled for January 5, 2024, in the District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas according to KATV, a television station in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Changing Names Faster Than Speeding Bullet

The crypto mine in focus belongs to Jones Digital LLC and is operating under the title Newrays One in Bono, Arkansas. Gladys Anderson, a resident who is living near the facility, joined the lawsuit after realizing the managers of these facilities are not addressing her complaints regarding noise pollution.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the national public health agency in the United States, explains that sound surpassing 85 decibels can damage hearing. The constant drone coming out of machines operating in these mines can reach up to 90 decibels, and people living nearby are exposed to it day and night.

Paul Lloyd, a denizen said that “An autistic child can’t take those kinds of noises, and they’ve had to live with it. And that’s not right.” Gladys told KATV in July that her autistic son is unable to stand these sounds. She said, “It’s caused a lot of headaches…I’ve been to the doctor over headaches.” Adding that, “My son is currently in the backyard having a meltdown.”

Furthermore, the value of the property where she lives has been adversely affected. Her attempts to sell it have failed due to the uninterest arising out of the loud noise from the facility. Although sound barriers are in place, they do not deliver substantial prevention from noise pollution.

The companies are changing names frequently. Lloyd explains, “After Green Digital, they changed the name to Newrays, then they changed the name to Newrays One LLC.” he added, “I mean, they just change the name every 30 days or so. And they do that at every one of them. Now down at DeWitt, they’re calling it Jones Digital. When they do that and register with the Secretary of State… when they check [their] credibility, it’s going to show no complaints.”

Act 851 opened a door for crypto miners to set up their shops in the region. The bill was presented and passed into law in April 2023. The bill reads, “Recognize that data centers create jobs, pay taxes, and 8 provide general economic value to local communities and this state.”

However, it has been observed so far that crypto-mining businesses do not bring any economic benefit to the region. Instead, they are only using resources according to the citizens. According to one Towamensing Township resident, Roy Christmas, “When they were burning coal, waste coal, at least that was benefiting the community. I don’t see how this benefits the local residents at all, other than a few jobs.”

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.