Crypto Miner, Pennsylvania Hit With Lawsuit Over Pollution From Bitcoin Mine (reuters.com)
(Tuesday March 26, 2024 @11:30PM (BeauHD)
from the public-and-private-nuisance dept.)
- Reference: 0173391983
- News link: https://slashdot.org/story/24/03/27/0130229/crypto-miner-pennsylvania-hit-with-lawsuit-over-pollution-from-bitcoin-mine
- Source link: https://www.reuters.com/legal/crypto-miner-pennsylvania-hit-with-lawsuit-over-pollution-bitcoin-mine-2024-03-26/
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters:
> An environmental community group on Tuesday sued Stronghold Digital Mining claiming the company's bitcoin mine in northeastern Pennsylvania that burns waste coal and old tires for energy is [1]polluting nearby communities with dangerous chemicals . The lawsuit by Save Carbon County filed in state court in Philadelphia, also names Pennsylvania as a defendant. The group, a nonprofit whose members live near the bitcoin mine, is seeking compensatory and punitive damages from the company, and an order directing the state to stop allowing the pollution to continue. The group said Stronghold has created a public and private nuisance by releasing mercury into waterways and spewing harmful chemicals like sulfur dioxide into the air from an aging power plant it bought to power its energy-thirsty operations. The state has issued permits allowing the pollution and subsidized the crypto-mine through tax incentives despite having an affirmative duty in the state constitution to protect the environment for its citizens, according to the lawsuit.
A Stronghold spokesperson said in a statement that its operations actually clean up land and water in the area by using waste coal left behind by historic coal production in the region. "Stronghold's facilities have cleaned up millions of tons of waste coal and reclaimed over 1,050 acres of once-blighted land, now sports fields, parks, and fishing spots for local communities," the spokesperson said.
[1] https://www.reuters.com/legal/crypto-miner-pennsylvania-hit-with-lawsuit-over-pollution-bitcoin-mine-2024-03-26/
> An environmental community group on Tuesday sued Stronghold Digital Mining claiming the company's bitcoin mine in northeastern Pennsylvania that burns waste coal and old tires for energy is [1]polluting nearby communities with dangerous chemicals . The lawsuit by Save Carbon County filed in state court in Philadelphia, also names Pennsylvania as a defendant. The group, a nonprofit whose members live near the bitcoin mine, is seeking compensatory and punitive damages from the company, and an order directing the state to stop allowing the pollution to continue. The group said Stronghold has created a public and private nuisance by releasing mercury into waterways and spewing harmful chemicals like sulfur dioxide into the air from an aging power plant it bought to power its energy-thirsty operations. The state has issued permits allowing the pollution and subsidized the crypto-mine through tax incentives despite having an affirmative duty in the state constitution to protect the environment for its citizens, according to the lawsuit.
A Stronghold spokesperson said in a statement that its operations actually clean up land and water in the area by using waste coal left behind by historic coal production in the region. "Stronghold's facilities have cleaned up millions of tons of waste coal and reclaimed over 1,050 acres of once-blighted land, now sports fields, parks, and fishing spots for local communities," the spokesperson said.
[1] https://www.reuters.com/legal/crypto-miner-pennsylvania-hit-with-lawsuit-over-pollution-bitcoin-mine-2024-03-26/
"Cleaned Up" (Score:3)
by Barny ( 103770 )
I don't think incinerating it counts as "cleaning it up".
Actually, that's kinda the opposite.
This is legitimately infuriating (Score:2)
by Powercntrl ( 458442 )
There is no reason we should be burning fossil fuels to mine Bitcoin. The entire process could be done on a single server if it weren't for the fact that the chain of trust requires that massive amounts of computing power be intentionally wasted in order to create a bubble of security within an untrusted network environment.
It has already been established as sound legal precedent that minimum efficiency standards can be enforced under the law. We do it for vehicles, plumbing fixtures, light bulbs, and HVA
Is the company leaving? (Score:2)
Why is a Bitcoin miner like a panda?
It burns, wastes coal, and tires.