What It’s Like to Live in a Small Town Polluted by a Cryptomine #CriptoNews

“We have deep ties to the region, and I’ve always considered it the one constant I’ve ever had in an otherwise pretty tumultuous life, which is why I feel so strongly about protecting it,” said Seneca Lake resident Yvonne Taylor, who is a member of Seneca Lake Guardian, one of the groups represented in the lawsuit.

The Finger Lakes is just one of many regions across the country that have been impacted by nearby bitcoin mines. In Granbury, Texas, residents are suing Marathon Digital Holdings, alleging that noise pollution from its bitcoin mine is causing hearing loss, migraines, and vertigo. In Montana, cryptomining is extending the life of a coal-fired power plant as greenhouse gases continue to rise in one of the state’s poorest counties. In Pennsylvania, an environmental group is suing a bitcoin mine for allegedly burning waste coal and old tires to power its operations, polluting the region with harmful chemicals. Nationwide, bitcoin mines—the majority of which are powered by dirty fossil fuels—use 2 percent of the country’s electricity and, according to one recent estimate, may be consuming as much water per year as the city of Washington, D.C.

Under President Donald Trump, who has promised to make the United States the “crypto capital of the planet,” bitcoin’s impact on the climate and communities may only grow. In the 2024 election, the cryptocurrency industry spent millions lobbying in support of Trump and other pro-crypto politicians, simultaneously ousting some of Washington’s strongest crypto hard-liners. Bolstered by millions from investors, Trump has become a champion for the decentralized currency he previously called a “scam,” vowing to ensure all remaining bitcoin will be “made in the USA.” On March 6, the president signed an executive order to establish a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, creating a government-owned stockpile of bitcoin that can be released in times of crisis.