A six-member jury in Texas has acquitted David Fischer, manager at Marathon Digital Bitcoin Mining plant in Granbury, of as many as 12 noise violations that were registered following complaints from residents.
The jury’s decision, reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on July 10, came after several residents of Granbury town complained of health-related issues due to constant noise pollution emerging from a newly set up Bitcoin Mining plant of Marathon Digital Holdings in the small town.
During the trial, Fischer’s defense argued that he was wrongly targeted for violations that should have been directed at Marathon itself. They contended that the noise readings presented by Constable Shirley were inflated and that Marathon’s activities were within legal industrial norms.
The case had gained widespread attention after a detailed TIME report on July 8 highlighted claims from over 40 individuals in the Granbury area, linking health issues to the noise emanating from Marathon’s operations. As per the TIME article, the residents had suffered from nausea, migraine, panic and anxiety, chest pain, hypertension, and vertigo among others.
According to officials, constable John Shirley of Hood County had reportedly recorded noise levels exceeding 85 decibels on multiple occasions, levels deemed hazardous by health standards.
Marathon Digital plans to mitigate these concerns by transitioning to immersion cooling technology by year-end, replacing air-cooled systems. This method involves submerging mining rigs in a cooling fluid, which promises quieter operations and potentially alleviates health-related complaints.
Bitcoin mining, a resource-intensive process involving specialized computers solving cryptographic puzzles to secure the blockchain, generates significant heat. Cooling these mining rigs with fans produces a distinct low-frequency hum, which some Granbury residents claim is linked to various health issues such as heart problems, migraines, and tinnitus.
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