Buncombe County commissioners in North Carolina are taking a page out of New York’s crypto playbook and are enforcing a one-year moratorium on all crypto mining operations so they can explore regulations and laws.
North Carolina County Halts Crypto Mining
Planning director Nate Pennington said in an interview:
We don’t often bring a moratorium to the table.
However, he commented that because crypto mining is still relatively new and doesn’t run under any specific laws, this period will allow him and his fellow city council members to explore new ideas for ensuring the space remains safe for all who take part in it or benefit from it.
Chris Joyell – the healthy communities director with Mountain True – said the region’s people have been extremely helpful and “proactive” when it comes to the issue at hand. He mentioned:
Mountain True has seen several cryptocurrency mines operating in WNC, especially in Cherokee County, where they have proven to be a nuisance to neighbors and a threat to our environment.
He said that right now, there are many concerns surrounding the potential noise of the mining machines. There is also a lot of worry regarding the pollution they allegedly emit, and he and his fellow constituents don’t want North Carolina air or water being ruined because people are looking to create blockchain careers for themselves. He continued with:
There is no way to greenwash crypto mining. Let me repeat: As the value of bitcoin rebounds, the growth of cryptocurrency mining operations put North Carolina in danger of not being able to hit the goals set out by Gov. Cooper and the N.C. General Assembly with House Bill 951.
Craig Deutsch has lived in Buncombe County for about ten years. He’s one of the few people who’s against the moratorium, saying that with crypto being such a revolutionary arena, he’s concerned the move could put North Carolina behind in terms of technical achievements. He stated:
I urge the county commissioners and planners to take the time to visit bitcoin mines, do research about bitcoin’s benefits to the environment… and listen to stories about the positive impacts of bitcoin for underserved and underbanked communities… At the end of the day, all bitcoin mining computers do is run code, and code is a form of constitutionally protected speech.
Kimberly Stonebraker, who has lived in North Carolina since 1999, said to the commissioners:
I urge you to keep an open mind.
Not Good for Residents?
Finally, Ken Brame – a representative of the Sierra Club – said he fears crypto mining can do a lot of damage to residents. He said:
We live out there for a reason. We need to take the time to figure out what regulations, what management we have in place to prevent that from happening in neighborhoods like mine.
