WASHINGTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) – People in Washington County, Tennessee have concerns about a bitcoin mine in Limestone that is slated to be relocated to Washington County Industrial Park.
People around the bitcoin mine said living next to the noise is unbearable, and the issue prompted a lawsuit by the county against BrightRidge and mine owner Red Dog Technologies.
The settlement places the mine in a yet-undisclosed five-acre location at the Industrial Park in Telford, and new neighbors aren’t exactly thrilled.
“They say it’s like a constant jet engine constantly 24/7,” Randy Gilliam, organizer of opposition efforts, said.
About 50 people attended a meeting Sunday afternoon focused on mobilizing efforts to stop the move.
“We have an area we can sit outside and enjoy the evenings,” neighbor Dona Onks said. “With the noise that’s going to be happening, we understand it’s going to be pretty much impossible to do.”
Neighbors said the county did not tell them of the plan and said they heard about the relocation by word of mouth.
“We were not informed about this at all,” neighbor Darlene Hook said. “There was no information for us about this coming in.”
Some have concerns about how close the new location is to Grandview Elementary School.
“I have a neighbor across the street, she has a grandson that’s autistic,” Hook said. “He’s extremely sound sensitive, so now this thing is going to be by the school.”
Neighbors said they’re not going to sit around waiting for a solution, instead, they’re going to act through petitioning and protesting.
“We don’t want it here, and we don’t want any other community to have to be involved in it either,” Onks said. “We’d just kind of like it to go away.”
A protest is planned for 5:30 p.m. Monday at the Justice Center in Jonesborough, just ahead of the Washington County Commission meeting.
The bitcoin mine is not on the meeting’s agenda, but those who live near the potential new site said they hope to speak during public comment.
