“You can hear it in the morning”

The early returns on the Sooners’ big bet on cryptocurrencies are in, and they’re clearly in favora job.

What is happening?

The Bitcoin mining site is so happy with its ranking in Muskogee that it is doubling its footprint, Fox 25 coke It was reported in November, shortly after the state’s so-called “Bitcoin Bill of Rights” went into effect. Polaris Technologies, Inc. Already operating about 40,000 computers on 42 acres at the John T. Griffin Industrial Park.

But the residents of the area are not very happy.

The mining facility uses 200 megawatts of power and will soon consume the equivalent of 400,000 homes after expansion. Oklahoma Gas & Electric Company built a 1,000-megawatt substation on the site as part of an effort to attract these data centers.

Polaris spent $100 million on its initial development, which was slated to create about 20 jobs in the area. 2 Oklahoma News I mentioned last year. The city and county have spent more than $4 million improving infrastructure in the area and facilitating such projects.

Although there are benefits, the facility has rattled some people in a quiet community, as the 20 jobs in the area don’t necessarily calm them down versus the high energy consumption and loud noise.

“You can hear it in the morning when they turn it on,” says Joe Wilson, a Muskogee resident He said to Koch. “It’s like the dishwasher has stopped working. If more start coming in, especially like the one over there, I think it’s time to move.”

Why is this important?

Another neighbor sees noise pollution as a bigger problem at night, although others said it’s not annoying.

“I don’t really know how to describe it,” one told KOKH. “It’s not very loud, it’s just there. It’s annoying. It used to be really quiet in here and now it’s not.”

The experience is similar to one not 300 miles away in Granbury, Texas, where… File a lawsuit against the residents Marathon Digital Holdings (which has… She changed her name To MARA Holdings) for the noise pollution that disrupted their lives and caused Health concerns. diverse countries and Other governments It has banned some cryptocurrency mining activities because of it Huge impact on the environmentthough Followers argue Industry can help in Green transformation.

Oklahoma House Bill 3594 Prohibits any state government entity from enacting a noise law to regulate digital asset mining a job In addition to what applies to “industrial areas in general.”

Jiaxin Ning, Polaris’ chief technical officer, told KOKH that the company will build a noise-canceling wall or fence if residents are still dissatisfied with the completion of the expansion project.

Is anything being done about cryptocurrency energy use?

The state’s embrace of cryptocurrency miners has allowed it to expand, and Polaris plans to build another facility near the Texas border, according to KOKH. Port Muskogee also hopes to attract a similar one Technology Operations, from other cryptocurrency companies to cloud computing and artificial intelligence businesses.

“We are providing the same structure, infrastructure, and bones that we provide to any industry in the state,” State Rep. Brian Hill, who co-authored the bill, told KOKH. “We want this industry to know that Oklahoma is open for business, and we appreciate that you have chosen Oklahoma as your home and this is a place where you can thrive.”

While the Polaris cryptocurrency facility in Oklahoma uses local grid power, and the nearby facility in Texas relies at least in part on a gas-fired plant, meaning a significant amount of pollution is associated with energy use, not all cryptocurrency mining is carried out. As a pollutant.

Cryptocurrency advocates often point to the fact that many companies similar to Polaris are building or purchasing their own off-grid renewable energy infrastructure, such as Large wind farm It was recently purchased elsewhere in Texas by MARA Holdings to operate another Bitcoin mining facility.

This purchase has taken this wind farm off the local grid, however, it is still better than running it on the grid or building a dedicated plant. Natural gas It does not improve the net energy use equation in the short term. Additional investments in renewable energy from the ground up will remain important for the future of cryptocurrency mining — and as Muskogee will attest, so will additional investments in noise abatement.

join us Free newsletter to Good news and Useful tipsAnd don’t miss it This is a great list An easy way to help yourself while helping the planet.