The Missoula County Planning Council in Montana held the first public hearings on introducing permanent zoning for cryptocurrency mining operations. reports KPAX, the local news agency.
Missoula became popular among miners in 2018, thanks to cheap hydroelectric power. It was then that Hyperblock placed mining farms in the old warehouses of the Bonner factory.
Mining brought revenue to the state budget and created jobs, but residents of the county complained about the noise from the equipment, high energy consumption, and environmental impact.
For this reason, in April 2019 the county authorities introduced temporary zoning controls for cryptocurrency mining. In spring 2020, Hyperblock filed for bankruptcy.
The temporary zoning is set to expire in April 2021. Authorities are now weighing whether to make the zoning regime permanent.
The final decision will come only after several public discussion sessions.
In October 2019, the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission granted permission to open a mining center in Montana based on a 110-year-old power plant that had ceased operations.
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