Bitcoin mining facilities have blanketed small towns across America with constant mechanical noise, disrupting lives and potentially causing health problems, The Guardian reported.
What is cryptocurrency mining?
Cryptocurrency mining involves powerful computers racing to solve complex puzzles that verify transactions. When a computer wins this digital race, it earns bitcoin rewards.
These facilities use rows of specialized computers that require massive cooling systems, often featuring industrial-grade fans that create significant noise pollution when operating at scale.
Why is cryptocurrency mining noise important?
The noise from mining facilities can profoundly affect your health and community well-being. Many people living near these operations report serious sleep problems, which can trigger a range of health issues.
Residents in Granbury, Texas, where a 300-megawatt mining operation runs day and night, describe the sound as similar to living next to a jet engine. "It wakes you up. I'll be asleep, and everything will be fine, and then I'll wake up because I can feel it in my chest," says Shenice Copenhaver, who lives less than a mile from the facility, per The Guardian.
"Disrupted sleep causes a cascade of other issues in someone's life. Lack of sleep is linked to depression, higher stress levels and chronic diseases like hypertension," explains Mary Willis, assistant professor of epidemiology at Boston University.
How cryptocurrency mining impacts communities and the environment
The industry's rapid growth brings multiple challenges beyond noise. Cryptocurrency mining now consumes up to 2.3% of the nation's power, according to the most recent estimates from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
This enormous energy demand can have financial consequences for everyday Americans. Bitcoin mining raises electricity costs for non-miners in Texas by approximately 4.7% — about $1.8 billion per year — according to consulting firm Wood Mackenzie, which also called the estimates "conservative, accounting only for mining during 'blue sky' hours when prices are under US$150/MWh."
While some miners say they're transitioning to renewable energy, multiple facilities are bringing aging dirty fuel plants back online. These operations sometimes secure electricity at deeply discounted rates.
As The Guardian notes, in 2023, residential Texans paid about 22.25 cents per kilowatt-hour, while some mining operations paid just 2.5 cents, making ordinary homeowners subsidize the industry's energy use, according to Earthjustice.
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Yes — always 💯 What's driving mining expansion?
The cryptocurrency industry is growing under policies that favor its development. Since the 2024 presidential election, bitcoin's computing power has increased by 25%, with some mining companies boosting capacity by over 40%, as The Guardian reported.
Companies nationwide have announced plans to add at least another 2.42 gigawatts in capacity. That's enough power for almost two million American homes. Since November, investors have funneled $3.7 billion in bonds into the industry to fund this growth.
People such as Cheryl Shadden in Granbury say this expansion means living with real health impacts. After months of exposure to mining noise, she was diagnosed with permanent hearing loss.
"It's never going to come back," she says.
(Mara, which owns the Granbury site, disputed a link between Shadden's diagnosis and its operations, per The Guardian.)
What can be done about mining noise?
Mining companies say they can reduce noise through immersion cooling, wherein computers are submerged in special oil, and by building sound barriers. These solutions often don't solve the problem.
"Immersion cooling will decrease the sound in some way, but only by a percentage. It doesn't eliminate the sound," explains Mandy DeRoche, deputy managing attorney at Earthjustice, who represents residents suing mining operations, per The Guardian.
Some communities have found ways to push back. In Granbury, residents won a small victory when an energy company withdrew its permit application for a gas plant that would have supported mining, citing community concerns.
"This is truly the best news I've had in a year and a half," Shadden said.
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