Hayesville – After a brief public hearing, the Clay County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved an ordinance on Aug. 4 that prevents commercial cryptocurrency mining facilities from opening and/or operating in the county.
Karen Hurtubise was among two members of the public who spoke in support of the ordinance. She thanked the commissioners for being proactive in their response to the problems surrounding crypto mining.
“I’m amazed,” Hurtubise said. “I really thought this was going to be one of the battles where I was on the losing side. I’m just so happy. Crypto mining is the wild West.”
No one spoke in favor of commercial crypto mining facilities, and there were no objections to the ordinance voiced during the hearing.
Drafting the ordinance was a bold step that began earlier this year, but it was not one that was taken lightly. Commissioner Randy Nichols said he is not a fan of telling people what to do on their own land, but in this case something needed to be done.
“It’s been a long, drawn-out process,” Nichols said. “Sometimes the wheels of government turn slow, but we will get it done.”
“It’s just good common sense,” Commissioner Clay Logan added.
Clay County officials have been monitoring the problems neighboring Cherokee County is experiencing with two commercial crypto mining facilities, in Murphy and Ranger. Constant noise from the facilities, high electricity usage and where to dispose of waste are among the ongoing problems there.
Through the ordinance, commissioners, county planning board members and attorney Merinda Woody took measures to protect the county’s character and environment while sewing up loopholes in the process. The ordinance prevents commercial facilities from being installed or operated here, but smaller residential crypto mining is not included in the moratorium.
The ordinance defines residential as “private citizens who have computers from which they mine cryptocurrency for their own private use and not commercially be allowed to continue their mining within their own homes.” These are small privately owned operations that do not require a building permit, an electrical permit or any other permit required by the N.C. Building Code.
One resident was concerned that private crypto mining could expand under the radar. Building inspector Anthony Stillwell said Blue Ridge Mountain Electric Membership Corp. will not go above 400 amps for residential use, and switching from 200 to 400 amps of power has to be approved by the county. This would require a permit, which has been banned in the commercial cryptocurrency mining ordinance.
In February, commissioners adopted a temporary moratorium that halted any commercial crypto mining facilities through August. The pause provided an opportunity for additional research into the overall impacts of commercial crypto mining facilities.
Through the lens of land use planning, the team assigned to research commercial crypto mining attempted to answer questions regarding how it could change the character of the county and quality of life. Ultimately, the conclusion was that a commercial crypto mining facility was not in the best interest of local residents.
According the ordinance, “the process requires major amount of power. Computers are the size of space heaters and they act like space heaters throwing out wave after wave of warm air while churning algorithms 24 house a day, seven days a week. Further, there is danger of overheating and possible fires.
“Due to the excessive energy needs that the cryptocurrency mining industry and its facilities require in their operation, Clay County currently lacks the infrastructure to accommodate a business such as the industry of cryptocurrency mining facilities and cryptocurrency mining farms.”
In addition, the ordinance states, “Regarding environmental impacts, the board found that cryptocurrency mining contributes to climate change, noise pollution, environmental devastation, immense quantities of energy used including, but not limited to electrical energy.”