Grassroots effort to repeal Act 851 gains steam

MORELAND — The mission of the Moreland Group is that it supports the repeal of Arkansas Act 851 and some oversight of cryptocurrency mining operations.

According to Kim Troboy of Russellville, group members are very concerned about the cryptomining operations starting up in Moreland. He said they have decided to work within the political system to put in some oversight.

“They want civil and respectful discourse among all stakeholders,” Troboy said.

A public meeting has been scheduled from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, March 23 at the Oak Grove Free Will Baptist Church fellowship hall, located at 9154 State Highway 105 North. Those invited include State Reps. Stan Berry and Matt Duffield, Pope County Judge Ben Cross, Sen. Breanne Davis and Little Rock television stations and anyone who is interested, including representatives of the mining operation companies.

A Facebook page – Nope in Pope, Citizens Against Cryptomining in Pope County, Arkansas – was set up by the group initially, but now states “Local organizers are not happy with Nope in Pope content so the page is being taken down.” There was no word on when the page would be operational again.

Rick Smith, one of the group’s organizers, said he has spoken with several state and local officials about the March 23 meeting.

“Both Davis and Berry are directly involved in drafting legislation to not just repeal Act 851 but submit a bill that poses greater restrictions and regulations on these operations in our state,” Smith said in an email. “That process is underway and her presentation to our community will help our citizens understand the wheels that are in motion at the Capitol. Breanne has also reached out on our behalf to John Bethel, Director for Public Affairs with Entergy, to address concerns related to the power grid. I have reached out to Judge Ben Cross to address the noise ordinance and its regulations.”

A letter put together by organizers spells out the group’s opposition.

“You supported legislation last year that prohibited Chinese elements from owning property in Arkansas. Thank you!

“However, Act 851 allows Chinese elements to own and operate cryptocurrency data mining operations in Arkansas unsupervised and uncontrolled by any State Agency and goes further to prohibit local officials from taking protective actions against cryptocurrency facilities.

“I am contacting you to express my concerns about the crypto-currency mining operations being built in my community. I am concerned that there is no oversight of these operations and no way to mitigate their negative effects on my community. Unbelievably, Act 851 was passed with NO provisions assigning oversight or inspection responsibilities to any State Agency. No one is responsible for tracking where these facilities are

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being built nor validating the Country of ownership. I have attached for your information my list of where I have found cryptocurrency facilities.

“My specific concerns include: “Excessive noise and uncomfortable frequencies that impact my ability to enjoy my property.

“Excessive use of electricity and water.

“No caps on use of public resources.

“Potential brownouts or blackouts at times of peak energy usage. “Potential increase in utility rates for local customers to expand the grid (as we have witnessed in Texas).

“Loss in property values due to the proximity of these operations and their noise.

“The ease with which more powerful computers can be installed, further increasing noise and the use of energy and water.

“The potential national security threat posed by use of Chinese software and by Chinese ownership of some of these companies.

“Significant increase in ewaste from these operations going into our landfills and water sources at some point.

“I am asking you to support the immediate repeal of Arkansas Act 851. This law unduly restricts local governments from responding to the concerns of their constituents about these negative impacts on their community.

“I ask that local governments be allowed to implement ordinances or zoning codes without having to grandfather in operations built after Act 851.

Finally, I ask that more extensive public input be sought on any further State laws or regulations regarding these cryptocurrency data mining operations.”

The letter indicates there are 17 cryptocurrency mining facilities in the state of Arkansas, including Moreland, Russellville and Morrilton. Last December, Duffield (R-District 53) of Russellville penned a letter to the governor’s office, urging Gov.

Sarah Sanders to call a special session of the State Legislature for the purpose of repealing the Arkansas Data Centers Act (ADCA) of 2023.