Residents of an Appalachian town in North Carolina say they are being forced to evacuate their homes over a noisy cryptocurrency mine that has sparked petitions and protests.
The Murphy facility, one of two in Cherokee County, has consistently produced a noise that resident Mike Lugiewicz describes as “a little jet that never leaves.” In September, a mine was described as “more expensive than beef production”.
Sound meters Lugiewicz ran in his garden showed the incessant noise of the stacks of computer servers and cooling fans ranging from 55 to 85 decibels.
“There’s a racetrack three miles out here,” Lugiewicz said. “You can hear the cars driving. It’s cool.’
“But at least they’re stopping,” neighbor Judy Stines added to CNN. ‘And you can go to bed.’
Residents of an Appalachian town in North Carolina say they are being forced to evacuate their homes over a noisy cryptocurrency mine that has sparked petitions and protests
Bans on crypto by places like China have prompted those looking for harvests to seek locations along the Appalachian Mountains, as electricity is relatively affordable and these areas are typically unregulated.
A company called PrimeBlock has bought a dozen mines across North Carolina, as well as in Tennessee and Kentucky.
The San Francisco-based company has raised about $300 million in equity funding and is likely to go public soon.
Despite a largely Republican and Libertarian base, the noise has forced residents to demand their local government do something about it, with the Board of Commissioners recently urging state and federal officials to regulate crypto mining.
“Personally, I think that if we get a bill into the system, other (North Carolina) counties will join,” said Chairman Cal Stiles.
Chandler Song, PrimeBlock’s co-founder and chief innovation officer, said such regulation was “unconstitutional to say the least,” and said of the venues, “Oh boy, they wanted us so bad a year ago.”
There were plans for PrimeBlock officials to speak at a Cherokee County Board meeting, but County Commission Chairman Dan Eichenbaum said they decided not to come because someone fired on one of the service lines.
Resident Mike Lugiewicz (pictured left) describes the noise as “a little jet that never takes off.”
Bans on crypto by places like China have prompted those looking for harvests to seek locations along the Appalachian Mountains, as electricity is relatively affordable and these areas are typically unregulated
Song has since said he hasn’t heard any complaints from the district but has promised PrimeBlock would build noise barriers and install water-based cooling systems that make a noise, the Washington Post reported.
They did, but only on two sides of the mine before construction stopped, which only enraged local residents.
Both Song and co-founder Ryan Fang were included in a 2017 Forbes list of young entrepreneurs who have raised over $10 million in funding for projects.
PrimeBlock reported nearly $25 million in revenue in Q4 2021 and had an estimated enterprise value of $1.25 billion.
Despite a largely Republican and Libertarian base, the noise has forced residents to demand their local government do something about it, with the Board of Commissioners (pictured) recently urging state and federal officials to regulate crypto mining
Chandler Song, PrimeBlock’s co-founder and chief innovation officer, said such regulation was “unconstitutional to say the least,” and said of the venues, “Oh boy, they wanted us so bad a year ago.”
Song hasn’t answered any other questions yet. DailyMail.com has reached out to a PrimeBlock spokesperson for comment.
The mines, along with winter storms, have been blamed for rollout failures on power grids built by the Tennessee Valley Authority, a rare occurrence in the history of the New Deal-era program. The mine was never closed.
“They shut us down for 15 to 45 minutes to an hour every hour on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day,” said local resident Ron Wright. “Well, as soon as your power goes out, your heat pumps go out and pipes freeze.”
Lugiewicz and Stines are still fighting, but Lugiewicz put a For Sale sign on his house.
“I think in September 2021 they turned that on and my wife and I just shook our heads and said, ‘No, we’re out of here. “
Despite promises that PrimeBlock would build noise barriers and install water-based cooling systems that made noise, they only built them on two sides of the mine before construction halted, further angering local residents
The mines, along with winter storms, have been blamed for rollout failures on power grids built by the Tennessee Valley Authority, a rare occurrence in the history of the New Deal-era program. The mine was never closed
The Murphy facility has made waves as far afield as neighboring Clay County, which enacted a ban on commercial crypto mining last August.
“Regarding environmental impacts, the Board determined that cryptocurrency mining contributes to climate change, noise pollution, environmental degradation and huge energy consumption, including but not limited to electrical energy,” the regulation reads.
County Commissioner Clay Logan told the Clay County Progress it was “just common sense.”
Both Change.org and the Sierra Club have started petitions against the mines.