US company plans to burn tyres to mine Bitcoin, angering locals
Bitcoin
A cryptocurrency-mining company in Pennsylvania, US is planning to burn tyres to produce bitcoin, a move that has enraged the residents and alarmed environmental groups.
Stronghold Digital Mining, the company, claims that it is repurposing waste materials. Opponents of the plan are worrying about risks posed by emissions to human health.
The company has been burning coal waste for cheap power to mine cryptocurrency since 2021. That year, it bought the Panther Creek power plant in Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania. Burning coal waste to mine bitcoin is a controversial approach. Although the removal of coal waste can help contaminated land, the burning emits greenhouse gases and other chemicals that are harmful.
The process of generating electricity from coal waste can take twice the amount of waste than regular coal when used to produce electricity.
The company says that it sometimes needs to burn tire-driven fuel to make burning of coal more efficient.
The Guardian quoted Stronghold spokesperson Naomi Harrington who said that additives like tire fuel “are especially needed when the quality of the coal refuse is low in energy content”.
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The company receives state subsidies to burn waste coal. It also has a temporary permit to test the use of tire-driven fuel. But it is reportedly trying to get permanent permission for tire-driven fuel.
“I was shocked,” said Carol Etheridge, a resident living near Panther Creek plant
“It’s terrible. I can’t even believe that people would be allowed to burn tyres.”
She was quoted by The Guardian.
Tire-burning plans have attracted criticism from environmental groups.
“It poses risks to the health of people living nearby,” said Charles McPhedran, an attorney with Earthjustice
Earthjustice is fighting the company's tire application.
“This sort of disposal of tyres is a last resort,” he said as quoted by The Guardian.
Burning tyres can form harmful chemicals like dioxins and furans. These chemicals have links to cancer. Additionally, Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), some of which are carcinogenic, have also been associated with burning tyres.
“They are clearly looking to reduce their fuel costs,” said Rob Altenburg of PennFuture, a local environment group.
“There is no analysis for how this will add to the existing burden of legacy pollution in the area.”
He was quoted by The Guardian.
Moreover, the plant is within two miles of communities which have been defined by the state as environmental justice areas.
Residents of Carbon County have sent letters to the county commissioner and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) expressing their concerns.
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