BENTON, Ark. — On Monday, Benton introduced new regulations on data centers, including crypto-mining.
Crypto mining is a growing industry across the country, and in a few days, a new state law will actually limit the control cities have over the centers.
Control like—how loud a center can be in a neighborhood.
So, cities like Benton have been trying to get ahead of the law before the issue comes to town, by adding their own noise ordinance on any future centers.
"It's our job, to do everything we can to get in front of it to protect people before it actually becomes a problem," Benton Mayor Tom Farmer explained.
The machines can be loud, so loud that last month the Vilonia City Board got a standing ovation when they revoked a permit for a crypto mine in their town last month.
Through this ordinance, Benton has been trying to avoid a similar future of frustration.
"To an extent people are saying, I don't know why we let this happen. If there's something that you can do to prevent this amount of noise in your city, you need to do it," Farmer said.
The ordinance passed unanimously with an emergency clause which puts it into effect right away.
This comes just days before a new state law limits local government control over crypto-mining specifically.
Tom Harford has advised on ordinances like Benton's with the Arkansas Blockchain Council. He explained how the group is pushing for crypto success while considering a town's needs.
"There's nothing in the law that says we're going to cram crypto mines down at town's throat that doesn't want to have a crypto mine. The basic language of the law is essentially don't discriminate against this industry by virtue of it being a new industry that is unknown," Harford said.
Harford also said there are ways to limit the noise, and bring some positive economic benefits to a city that hosts these data centers.
"The projected sales tax revenue that would come from one medium-sized crypto mine to that community would be enough to in a few years, meet that debt, and then in subsequent years surpass it," Hardford added.
Still, Mayor Farmer said he believes there's no place for crypto in Benton right now/
"The noise carries, our city limits don't have any territory, that there are not any residents that are not within a half a mile... You've got to protect everyone in the city, not just some," Farmer added.
The new state law, (Act 851) that limits local government action on crypto mining, goes into effect at the end of July.