Woodbury County is on the brink of welcoming a second Bitcoin mine, pending approval from local officials. This potential new hub for digital gold mining has stirred both excitement and controversy among residents and crypto traders alike.
Next Monday, August 5th, the Woodbury County Board of Adjustment will decide the fate of this project. If greenlit, the new Bitcoin mine will join its humming sibling near Salix, Iowa, which already generates noise levels comparable to a normal conversation – about 50 to 70 decibels. However, the proposed location, at 170th Street and Kossuth Avenue, is closer to rural homes, which has raised concerns among locals about potential disturbances.
Daniel Priestley, the county’s zoning coordinator, noted that these mines are strategically placed near utility substations to optimize their operations. The new site is about 1,100 feet from the nearest home, but under current county rules, only landowners within 500 feet receive direct notifications about such projects. This has sparked frustration among some residents who feel left out of the loop.
Stanton County, Nebraska, provides a cautionary tale. There, a larger Bitcoin mine has led to non-stop complaints from homeowners about relentless noise, with decibels reaching as high as 88. In contrast, the Salix mine, along with the proposed Correctionville site, are relatively smaller with fewer storage containers.
Despite these concerns, there’s a silver lining for the local economy. The new mine promises to create jobs, offering positions for full-time technicians at $26 per hour with housing and healthcare benefits. Additionally, the company, AUR Correctionville, plans to provide internships to local college students and utilize local contractors for the site’s construction.
The proposed mine has already cleared its first hurdle, receiving a recommendation from the advisory Woodbury County Zoning Commission, which emphasized the need to minimize noise. However
