North Texas community says crypto-mining facility brings never-ending noise, declining health
GRANBURY — A rural Hood County community claims a crypto-mining facility replaced the peaceful quiet of the area with constant noise, and it's affecting their health.
Crypto-mining uses computers and power to finalize transactions and release new cryptocurrency.
Tom Weeks, who lives near the facility, says he moved to rural Hood County for the wonderful people and the peace and quiet. But all that changed when a cryptocurrency mining facility began operating nearby.
"You know, you can't sit out in the evening and just shoot the breeze, have a glass of wine or anything because you get that [noise]," said Weeks. "And yeah, and the funny thing is, it's like any other noise in your life. You fixate on it, you fixate on everything. You cannot control it. And that's that's what's going on here."
He says the noise is constant, even when he's inside his home.
"It doesn't stop," Weeks said. "This thing was built to handle a tornado, and I never imagined anything like this."
Now he says it's not just the annoyance of the constant noise, but he's seeing his health decline.
"Being frustrated 24/7, being upset about something you can't control, it is damaging to your health," said Weeks. "I mean, it'll destroy your health, and not being able to get a good night's sleep."
Weeks said a chronic blood pressure issue that he's been able to control his entire life with one pill, has now become a handful of daily medicines. And he's not alone.
"They tell me they can't sleep," said Nannette Samuelson, a Hood County Commissioner Pct. 2. "The noise is continuous, 24/7. They have vertigo. Their children are having cochlear implants placed because they're now hard of hearing; all kinds of medical issues."
Samuelson said her phone began ringing with complaints about the facility, owned and operated by Marathon Digital Holdings, from the moment she took office.
"They can't sell their homes because the values have declined and no one wants to live near this," she said. "So they're stuck in this constant noise that can't be turned off, 24/7, through their home and no one wants to live like that."
Samuelson plans to appeal to the legislature for help. Other groups are also working to raise awareness of the mining consequences.
"Regular Texans are not gambling in and benefitting from bitcoin cryptocurrencies," said Jackie Sawicky with the Texas Coalition Against Cryptomining. "And yet every Texas energy consumer is footing the bill for it."
Sawicky said bitcoin mining is a huge consumer of electricity and that demand is driving up energy costs for everyone. The Texas Coalition Against Cryptomining is nonpartisan but will "name and shame" those politicians who prioritize corporate profits over communities who are pushing back against these facilities, she said.
"It's extremely important that somebody says, 'I understand' or 'I care,'" said Weeks.
Marathon Digital Holdings (MARA) said in a statement to CBS News Texas that it cares deeply about the communities in which it operates and is actively taking steps beyond compliance to ensure sound is further reduced from operations at the center, voluntarily enhancing and expanding the sound wall that surrounds part of the site. The company's statement continues:
"When evaluating the impact on the local community, it's important to bear in mind that this is an industrial area and has been for years prior to the existence of the digital asset data center.
MARA did not build the digital asset data center. The data center was originally built by Compute North, and until recently, it was operated by US Bitcoin Corp/Hut8. MARA only took ownership of the site and its operations at the start of this year, well after it was constructed and began operating."
The company said shortly after taking over the site it commissioned multiple sound studies from third-party acoustic experts which determined the site is operating within the legal limits; however, MARA said, "We hold ourselves to a higher standard."
MARA said it is also converting the facility from air cooling to liquid immersion cooling, which is more expensive, but quieter, referencing one of its other facilities in Masdar City, in Abu Dhabi, which "is completely immersion cooled ... and we have never received questions about its noise levels."
Editor's Note: a previous version of this story stated that Tom Weeks had spoken with neighbors and Hood County officials. It was actually reporter Robbie Owens who did so.
