Bitcoin Mine’s Potential New Neighbors Protest | WJHL

JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (WJHL) — They don’t know exactly where Red Dog Technologies’ relocated Bitcoin mine might go, but people living near the Washington County Industrial Park (WCIP) know they don’t want it anywhere near them.

Led by retired missionary Randy Gilliam, a sizeable contingent of Telford residents protested outside the George Jaynes Justice Center before going inside to voice their opposition to the cryptocurrency mine’s move to their neighborhood.

The group, which also met Sunday night, had expected — just as the Washington County Commissioners did until recently — that the commission would have a final settlement agreement to consider that would end the lawsuit against Red Dog and BrightRidge. The agreement included a clause to close the current mine in the New Salem community of Limestone and move it to five acres at WCIP, which is very close to Grandview Elementary School as well as a residential area.

“Bitcoin operation does not need to be moved to another location,” Gilliam said Monday. – It must be moved out of our area.

The exact package hasn’t been finalized for where Red Dog would open a new — and it says more quietly — mine. County Attorney Allyson Wilkinson told commissioners that was one of the main reasons they must wait until at least the August meeting to vote up or down a settlement proposal. The county has sued BrightRidge, which leases property and sells electricity to Red Dog, and Red Dog claims the operation violates the county’s zoning law.

It also makes a lot of noise, which got New Salem residents up in arms about the operation that started in May 2021. The noise is produced by industrial fans, which cool the powerful computer processors that “mine” for Bitcoin and also verify Bitcoin transactions.

Wilkinson told commissioners — who allowed Gilliam to address them even though the settlement was not on Monday’s agenda — Red Dog also needed to request a “textual change” to the county’s M2 (industrial) zoning ordinance to allow cryptocurrency mining.

The various outstanding items she needs from the defendants must be in her possession by August 3 for the commission to vote on a proposal at the August 22 meeting.

But the protesting residents seemed to have their minds set Monday on continuing to oppose a Bitcoin mine anywhere near them, regardless of when such a proposal might reach the commission.

“I’m very concerned about the kids at Grandview, listening to the noise from that all day trying to learn, and then again, the wildlife that’s there,” said Michelle Lamberides, who lives near the industrial park.

Wilkinson said a specific site has been selected in the WCIP, and she and her co-counsel Jeff Ward have sent Red Dog and BrightRidge all the information they needed.

“That offer was made,” of a particular piece of property, Wilkinson said.

“The county also sent a proposed settlement agreement and proposed or at least draft text amendment language (to the M2 zoning) so that everything could be discussed at one point,” she said. “Like a set.”

That set also included news that a surveyor would prepare a legal description of the new subdivided property proposed for the settlement. But last Friday, her office received some questions from the adviser of Red Dog about helping Red Dog with “operational people” to help them with the project placement.

She said the county does not have such employees, and that because the lawsuit is still active, “it is the county’s position that all negotiations will continue to go through the attorney general. I can’t tell you how important that is. This is still a matter before the court.”

At least one commissioner suggested Monday that he believed the trial should go through and that a settlement is the wrong move. Danny Edens, who was not at the June 9 meeting when commissioners approved a draft settlement by an 8-2 vote, said commissioners don’t always want to please everyone when trying to represent their districts.

“But we know right from wrong,” Edens said. “And where this is, right and wrong is crystal clear when it comes to Bitcoin. The only people who benefit are … Bitcoin itself and BrightRidge.

“They choose you,” he said, pointing to the people still sitting in the commission chambers. “Do what is right by them. It’s your county. It’s not the 15 people sitting around this table, it’s the people sitting out there, the people sitting at home watching us online, the people going and voting. They are the ones we are accountable to and I dare say if you asked them in one of your districts how they would like you to vote on Bitcoin, they would tell you to vote no.

“It is. I don’t know why we’ve shuffled this back and forth as long as we have.”