Alabama residents left powerless to stop massive Bitcoin mining data center despite county and town moratoriums — hole in state zoning laws lets facility through
Alabama residents left powerless to stop 50 MW Bitcoin mining facility despite county and town moratoriums thanks to the state's lack of appropriate zoning laws.
Somerville, a peaceful town in Morgan County, Alabama, is on the verge of hosting a massive Bitcoin mining center. Despite numerous protests and moratoriums at both county and town levels, the 50-MW facility from VoltCore is set to proceed due to a loophole in the state's zoning laws. Alabama, like many other states, follows Dillon's Rule which grants counties the power to control zoning only when their population reaches 600,000.
This rule currently does not apply to Morgan County, allowing VoltCore to build without hindrance. While the county and town have implemented moratoriums, these measures are powerless as the center is constructed on private land. Ray Long, Morgan County Commission Chairman, laments the lack of zoning laws in rural areas, stating, "We really don't have anything to stand on other than what we can say is, 'We really wish you wouldn't do it.'"
The project has garnered support through petitions and a GoFundMe campaign, aiming to secure legal assistance. Despite the challenges, construction, including the necessary energy connections, continues unabated. Even if Somerville were to draft a local zoning law, it would likely take months to pass and would not retroactively apply to the existing facility.
Other Alabama counties are also grappling with the issue, with data center bans becoming a hot topic at a recent Association of County Commissioners meeting. Several states, including South Dakota, New York, Oklahoma, and North Carolina, have taken steps to regulate or limit the size of new data center installations.
Written by urgent.news from Tom's Hardware's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
