Arkansas counties rush to pass noise regulations for crypto miners

Several counties in the US state of Arkansas are racing to pass emergency legislation allowing them to control noise and other activities related to crypto mining before the new state law goes into effect on August 1. According According to local media reports.

The new state law brings crypto mining facilities under the same rules applied to data centers, creating guidelines for miners and protecting them from discriminatory regulations and taxes. However, Arkansas residents barely had time to discuss the new law, which was ProposedIt was discussed in committees and passed by legislators within a week from March 30 to April 7.

State Representative Rick McClure, who wrote the bill, reportedly said that “no one spoke against this bill in committees or in legislative forums.” Crypto mining companies in Arkansas include Green Digital, GMI Computing, United BitEngine, and Cryptic Farms.

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Local authorities are making more rules to address complaints of excessive noise 24 hours a day. “I don’t have a problem with crypto mining, but just the noise level, the lack of care for our neighbors,” Chris Kendrick, Justice of the Peace of Faulkner County Quorum Court, said during a July meeting.

After the bill passed, the Federation of Arkansas Counties developed a model ordinance that counties could use before the law went into effect. Since June, more than a dozen counties have passed noise ordinances reportedly targeting data centers.

“I also want to point out that it’s not like these people are out on the front porch and can’t sit on the back porch and enjoy a glass of tea. These people can hear this sound 24/7 from their bedroom,” Justice of the Peace Mary Coates reportedly said.

While not outright banning county regulations, the new law also prohibits local governments from discriminating against crypto mining facilities or limiting decibel levels “in addition to the limits generally set for noise pollution.” Counties are also prohibited from re-zoning areas “with the intent or effect of discriminating against digital mining operations.”

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