MOUNTAIN CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — A group of citizens in Mountain City is voicing its opposition to a future Bitcoin mining facility.
Nevada-based Clean Spark, one of the nation’s largest Bitcoin mining companies, would build on 50 acres at Highway 421 and Rainbow Road.
The facility would be located near a power substation of Mountain Electric Cooperative, which said money from the mining facility would make up for lost revenue from the closure of Parkdale Mills, a now-shuttered plant nearby.
Community organizer Amelia Lopez Saltarelli said she and her group think the Bitcoin mining facility would negatively affect the quality of life more than the revenue is worth.
“We care about our land and our homes and our children,” she said. “If this comes in, it’s going to ruin Mountain City and our tourism and everything else that it’s part of. And then the health, a lot of us moved here from different states into this small community because of our health. And this takes that away. So, property values will go down. So, any money the city and county think they’re going to gain from property taxes after this company’s done with us in three years or so, everything’s going to go down. People are not going to be able to sell. They’re going to move out. This could be just a slow death for our town.”
Mountain City resident Aaron Cunningham told News Channel 11 during a Monday gathering that the group will attend Tuesday’s Mountain City Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting to speak against the facility’s approval.
“I really think that the sound issues are preeminent for a quiet, rural town like Mountain City,” he said. “I think that people appreciate that aspect of living here most. And if that were interrupted with a constant hum, it would, it would be very, very damaging to the community.”
According to Tuesday’s BMA meeting agenda, Mayor Jerry Jordan has an agenda item dedicated to “review and discussion of Bitcoin Mining proposal and recent site visit to Georgia facility.”
The BMA meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday at City Hall (210 South Church Street) in Mountain City.
Approval for the mining facility could be granted within the next month.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather.