As some Oklahomans side-eye data centers looking to move into their communities, reporters at Tulsa-based media company The Pickup have been looking into a similar concern: cryptocurrency mines.
KOSU reporter Katie Wiehe recently explored how data center operations can lead to cryptocurrency mines.
Critics contend and complain that such operations are often noisy and disturbing to neighbors and adjacent businesses.
Wiehe said she got interested in Oklahoma’s Bitcoin mines after state lawmakers passed what she calls “pre-emptive deregulation” for such operations in 2024. That measure, House Bill 3594, required incentives and regulations for cryptocurrency mines and data centers be the same.
That’s despite key differences between who uses and profits from the facilities.
“When you’re looking at cryptocurrency mines — Bitcoin mines — it’s essentially just a self-enrichment process for the investors, for the people involved in the mines,” Wiehe said. “There’s not a lot of tangible products being produced for consumers despite all of that resource use.”
You can listen to the conversation with Wiehe and Matt Carney about their reporting, or read the full story at The Pickup.
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