- Residents of Granbury, Texas have complained of health issues linked to a nearby Marathon Bitcoin mining plant
- Attempts by local politicians to address the issue have been frustrated due to opposition to government intervention
- Marathon has announced plans to change operations to reduce noise
A Texas town located near a Bitcoin mining plant has complained of apparent health issues connected to the operation, but won’t let its local government help due to its citizens’ belief in non-interference from authorities. Residents of Granbury near Fort Worth are hoping to force a nationwide ban on Bitcoin mining after several residents complained of the buzzing from the site run by Bitcoin miner Marathon, but attempts by local politicians to stump for the issue have been met with frustration as residents oppose government intervention. Marathon has responded by saying that it plans to change its operations to reduce the noise.
Noise Levels Reach Jet Engine Volume
The plight of the Granbury residents was highlighted this week by TIME, which outlined the health issues supposedly being experienced. The Marathon Bitcoin mining facility is located about 15 minutes’ drive south of Granbury’s historic town center, placing it a few miles away from the main residential areas of Granbury.
Residents within earshot of the plant have complained of such maladies as migraines, hypertension, heart issues, vertigo and nausea, tinnitus and hearing loss, sleeplessness and panic attacks. Many residents have sought urgent medical care, with the noise from the plant reportedly reaching levels comparable to that of a jet engine.
Having pinpointed the source of the illnesses, Granbury brought an 800-strong petition to the Texas Republican state convention in San Antonio two months ago demanding action to counter the “excessive and unhealthy noise.” However, their political motivations seem to be hampering their cause; two local elected officials, Nannette Samuelson and Shannon Wolf, claimed to TIME that when they tried to take the floor to stump for the issue, they weren’t given time to speak.
Texans Standing in their Own Way
The next stage is proposing a ban on Bitcoin mining, but if one is floated, it is likely to hit a major and ironic snag, as TIME reported:
Any statewide legislation is sure to hit significant headwinds, because the very idea of regulation runs contrary to many Texans’ political beliefs. “As constitutional conservatives, they have taken our core values and used that against us,” says Demetra Conrad, a city council member in the nearby town of Glen Rose.
It seems, therefore, that the residents of Granbury want it both ways—they want the government to protect them from the imposition of a noisy Bitcoin mining plant but they also don’t believe in government interference.
For its part, Marathon says that by the end of 2024 it intends to have replaced the majority of air-cooled containers with immersion cooling, which, it told TIME, should result in a quieter operation.
