A cryptocurrency bitcoin mining company is looking to establish a footprint in rural Greene County and the local governmental body took a step toward making that a reality.

The Greene County Board of Supervisors recently approved the third and final reading of amending the county zoning ordinance to include data centers and cryptocurrency operations. Supervisor Chair John Muir explains the reason behind why they felt the need to create a zoning ordinance for bitcoin companies.

“These are things that, as the world evolves, we don’t see them coming down the road towards us, and they show up, and we need to address how they’re going to be accepted into our community, without interference with the (rural) residents.” 

Muir equates the process of establishing this kind of ordinance with setbacks, the types of equipment and items that are allowed, the maximum number of acres, decidable levels, electric and water usage to when the Board made the zoning ordinance for solar panel projects from companies.

“It was a long process with the solar farms, but I think in the end, we got a good result and I think we had the same process and result with the crypto project. There’s some things that I think we need to fine-tune but I’m glad we went through the process, we had a lot of discussion, and yeah it’s something that not all of us (on the Board) understand or can grasp what they’re talking about, but I think it’ll be good.”  

One of the possible adjustments that the Board may look to in the future is creating a distance separation between multiple cryptocurrency companies in the county.

Simple Mining from Cedar Falls was the company that worked with the Supervisors on the zoning ordinance and they look to establish a location that is south of Jefferson and Scranton later this year.