Crypto Mining Facility is Getting in Hot Water in Arkansas

Crypto mines are creating a lot of noise in Arkansas, literally. Arkansans are trying to keep up in this battle against these facilities pushing noise pollution in the region. KUAR, an affiliate of National Public Radio in the state, reports that members belonging to the Bono community of Greenbrier and Damascus are filing a lawsuit against one of the many cryptocurrency mining facilities, Newrays One.

Unable to Sit on the Porch

Similar to other cases, they are suing it to seek punitive damages and to halt its operations in the region. According to the lawsuit, the company is not adhering to sound laws. The same concern was raised last month with a citizen, Gladys Anderson, explaining the issue this facility is creating for her autistic son KATV, a television station in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Gladys said “An autistic child can’t take those kinds of noises, and they’ve had to live with it. And that’s not right.” She adds “An autistic child can’t take those kinds of noises, and they’ve had to live with it. And that’s not right.” She has previously complained about this issue given that the company failed to install the sound barriers at that time. Although sound barriers have been installed, it hasn’t made a considerable difference.

She now explains in the affidavit that “I cannot hear vehicles pulling into my driveway, I cannot hear the kids when they are out of my sight. The birds have stopped coming for food in the back yard, and the deer have stopped coming into the yard.”

According to her log where she kept a record of the constant drone, there were times the frequencies springing out of the constant drone reached up to 90 decibels. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the national public health agency of the United States, such frequency could damage hearing.

“I can no longer enjoy sitting on my porch, watching the cattle graze and hear their soft moos,” says another resident Shane Markuson. “You cannot hear their moos at all. I did not sign up for any of this noise crap.” Many residents share a similar feeling as crypto mining activities thrive in the area.

In October 2023, a community in Arkansas bulwarked against a crypto mine that was about to enter the region. A community member said, “We are concerned about environmental issues, the water issue, the conservation with our wildlife, toxic, and the noise pollution.” A similar case came to light in July 2023 when a city council in Vilonia unilaterally decided to halt crypto-mining activities in the area.

Authorities of the state passed Arkansas Act 851, which determines how data centers are to be operated and what is to be expected of them. State Rep Rick McClure has acknowledged in the past that, “Large digital asset mining operations can be a problem. They can be loud and annoying.”

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.