On the common assembly of the Silver Cliff Planning Committee (PC) on March 19, member Jerry Peterson warned the PC about the necessity to make it possible for Silver Cliff’s industrial re-zoning takes cryptocurrency mining under consideration once they contemplate new rules, notably in the wake of the institution of the brand new group photo voltaic farm.
“I’m not saying there’s something fallacious with cryptocurrency mining,” Peterson mentioned: “The rationale I’m a bit of bit involved about it’s that we’re re-zoning for industrial, and the bitcoin folks say ‘we are able to robotically put bitcoin mining in place’ [in an industrial zone] until we now have an ordinance in place regulating it.
“[Cryptocurrency mining] may be very annoying due to noise and electrical energy use and water use. These persons are discovering ingenious methods to get round it, like establishing massive photo voltaic farms. One in every of these opened up between Delta and Olathe on the Western Slope – a 70-acre photo voltaic farm to gasoline bitcoin mining. The outfit, Aspen Information Corp, purchased the previous [Louisiana Pacific] plant there. They’re from El Segundo, California…I’m simply involved that these guys can come in and bully their means in – notably if laws passes that looks like it’s going to avoid native management. I believe we have to put a moratorium on [the industrial district re-zoning].”
Peterson referred the PC to 2 articles included in their packet, one from a company referred to as the Satoshi Motion Fund, touting “proper to mine bitcoin” laws. Arkansas handed such a “proper to mine” regulation in 2024, which prevents native governments from regulating the development or location of such amenities in their communities. There are already complaints, in line with an article revealed in 2024 by CBS Information, of extreme noise coming from such amenities, in addition to issues about extreme electrical energy and water utilization. In response to the identical article, the Satoshi Motion Fund has been pushing the identical laws in quite a few different states, though not (but) in Colorado.
The PC agreed that this was a subject to revisit in future conferences. “We have to hold in thoughts what issues are essential to us in phrases of noise and aesthetics,” famous member Lisa Nolan.
“We have to apply the requirements to the industrial zone in basic,” mentioned member Steve Lasswell: “I’m afraid that if we now have a moratorium, and this regulation passes, then they’ll say that our moratorium is null and void – we have to have restrictions in place.”
“Can we now have restrictions in place that might permit some makes use of, however not bitcoin mining, by advantage of noise, water use, and so on being at prohibited ranges?” requested PC Chairman Larry Weber. “Buck, are you conscious of this laws?” Silver Cliff Mayor Buck Wenzel replied that he was.
In different enterprise, the PC unanimously permitted an alley trip request in block 68, on the north facet of Essential Road on the conjunction of Ohio and Wooden Streets; mentioned setting a workshop date to debate a part of their re-consideration of the city’s proposed tiny house ordinance; thought-about and handed a movement to ship the revised Grasp Plan on to the Board of Trustees for approval; and acquired a Re-Zoning Committee replace.
– Elliot Jackson
