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Madison County Approves Cryptocurrency Mining Regulation
MARSHALL: A week later the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners has extended its moratorium on cryptocurrency/data processing operations by one year on May 7, Madison County commissioners chose a different option, deciding instead to approve changes to the land use ordinance to include language regulating such structures.
Madison County instituted a one-year moratorium on June 13, 2023 to allow time to include language in the county’s land use ordinance, which made no mention of such structures at the time.
With the moratorium set to expire next month, the county unanimously approved a resolution written by Development Services Director Brad Guth to include language amendments to land use ordinances that reflect data processing facilities.
On March 19th, the county Planning Board met to strengthen its draft text in the land use ordinance relating to such facilitiesand approved the changes recommended to the commissioners.
The Madison County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the planning board’s recommendations at its May 14 meeting.
“Data processing facilities are simply a group of uses that many people think of as cryptomining, but any type of server or industrial computer use would fall under the land use of data processing facilities,” Guth said.
According to Guth, as with the definition of a county biomass facilitythe regulation of data processing facilities recommended by the Planning Board was based on a number of criteria, including size.
A small data processing facility would constitute less than 10,000 square feet of server space.
Small data processing facilities would be permitted in commercial districts, while large facilities would be permitted in industrial districts.
The Planning Board’s draft language listed a number of requirements related to height, separation of uses, presentation requirements, access, security fencing, screening, utility notification, signage and noise.
Land use ordinance changes recommended by the Planning Board included a minimum height of 8 feet. The structures themselves should not exceed 35 feet. All electrical cables must be placed underground.
Additionally, the entire perimeter of the facility shall be shielded from adjacent properties by a buffer strip.
The structures will be subject to the Madison County Noise Ordinance and should not disturb activities on adjacent property.
The resolution approved by the commissioners reads, in part, that “the development and regulation of data processing facilities is essential to supporting the economic development and technological advancement of Madison County.”
Board feedback
Council member Jeremy Hensley asked Guth if a potential applicant had contacted the county about potentially bringing a data processing facility to Madison, to which Guth said no.
Guth said the county’s intention to include data processing facilities that regulate language was also spurred by the response of western North Carolina residents in Cherokee, the state’s farthest western county with hundreds of thousands of acres of forest unstable and few land regulations. where residents were outraged in 2019, after cryptocurrency mines began setting up shop and filled the day and night with the hum and hum of industrial fans.
Other problems include the local landfill dealing with large quantities of electronic waste and polystyrene packaging material.
At the Madison County Planning Board’s March meeting, Chris Joyell, director of MountainTrue Healthy Communities, which has worked with Cherokee County and its three existing facilities, said both e-waste and Styrofoam waste are were the two most serious problems at Cherokee County facilities.
More: Buncombe extends moratorium Buncombe Extends Moratorium: California Bitcoin Mine Co. Shocks Cherokee County in Western North Carolina
Other: Board considers crypto structures The Madison Planning Board considers how to handle potential data processing facilities
More: MadCo finalizes biomass regulation After 18-month moratorium, Madison County finalizes biomass regulation
Vice President Michael Garrison applauded Guth for his work on the regulation.
“Having the use of separation and perimeters draws a pretty definitive line that if you’re going to have one of these, you’re not going to have it in someone’s backyard,” Garrison said.
But council member Bill Briggs said he believes the 10,000-square-foot figure is too high a number to limit the size of a small facility.
“Ten thousand square feet, it’s not a small place,” Briggs said. “And that should be a small structure.”
Guth made a distinction between a small data processing facility and a residential home.
“It’s not necessarily small, in terms of respecting your home,” Guth said.
Briggs questioned whether the county could ban all applicants from setting up data processing facilities within Madison County limits, but Guth said that would not be possible.
“We can’t rule anything out,” Guth said. “It has to have a place in our ordinance that allows them to locate it. Now, you could change the zones where you have it, in the ordinance now, and only allow them in your industrial zone, if that’s something that would be more restrictive.
“But the Planning Board and the working groups that worked on this issue felt that they could have enough leeway and enough control over it so as not to have a negative impact on other businesses in our business areas – which are also very limited – so we don’t is that they will necessarily end up near someone’s house.”
Johnny Casey covered Madison County for three years for The Citizen Times and The News-Record & Sentinel. He won first place in beat news reporting in the 2023 North Carolina Press Association awards. He can be reached at 828-210-6074 or jcasey@citizentimes.com.
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How Ether Spot ETF Approval Could Impact Crypto Prices: CNBC Crypto World
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CNBC Crypto World features the latest news and daily trading updates from the digital currency markets and gives viewers a glimpse of what’s to come with high-profile interviews, explainers and unique stories from the ever-changing cryptocurrency industry. On today’s show, Ledn Chief Investment Officer John Glover weighs in on what’s driving cryptocurrency prices right now and how the potential approval of spot ether ETFs could impact markets.
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Miners’ ‘Capitulation’ Signals Bitcoin Price May Have Bottomed Out: CryptoQuant
According to CryptoQuant, blockchain data shows signs that the Bitcoin mining industry is “capitulating,” a likely precursor to Bitcoin hitting a local price bottom before reaching new highs.
CryptoQuant analyzed metrics for miners, who are responsible for securing the Bitcoin network in exchange for newly minted BTC. As outlined in the market intelligence platform’s Wednesday report, multiple signs of capitulation have emerged over the past month, during which Bitcoin’s price has fallen 13% from $68,791 to $59,603.
One such sign includes a significant drop in Bitcoin’s hash rate, the total computing power that backs Bitcoin. After hitting a record high of 623 exashashes per second (EH/s) on April 27, the hash rate has fallen 7.7% to 576 EH/s, its lowest level in four months.
“Historically, extreme hash rate drawdowns have been associated with price bottoms,” CryptoQuant wrote. In particular, the 7.7% drawdown is reminiscent of an equivalent hash rate drawdown in December 2022, when Bitcoin’s price bottomed at $16,000 before rallying over 300% over the next 15 months.
This latest hash rate drop follows Bitcoin’s fourth cyclical “halving” event in April, which cut the number of coins paid out to miners in half. According to CryptoQuant’s Miner Profit/Loss Sustainability Indicator, this has left miners “mostly extremely underpaid” since April 20, forcing many to shut down mining machines that have now become unprofitable.
CrypotoQuant said that miners faced a 63% drop in daily revenue after the halving, when both Bitcoin block rewards and transaction fee revenues were much higher.
During this time, Bitcoin miners were seen moving coins from their on-chain wallets at a faster rate than usual, indicating that they may be selling their BTC reserves“Daily miner outflows reached their highest volume since May 21,” the company wrote.
Among the sales of Bitcoin miners, whales and national governmentsBitcoin’s price drop in June also hurt Bitcoin’s “hash price,” a metric of Bitcoin Miner Profitability per unit of computing power.
“Average mining revenue per hash (hash price) continues to hover near all-time lows,” CryptoQuant wrote. “Hashprice stands at $0.049 per EH/s, just above the all-time low hashprice of $0.045 reached on May 1st.”
By Ryan-Ozawa.
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US Congressman French Hill Doubles Down on Trump’s Pro-Crypto Stance
US lawmaker French Hill has noted that Donald Trump will take a more pro-crypto approach than the current administration. The run-up to the presidential election has seen cryptocurrencies become an issue with lawmakers making huge statements ahead of the polls. Donald Trump has also been reaching out to the industry, making a pro-crypto case.
French Hill Backs Trump’s Pro-Crypto Stance
Republican Congressman French Hill has explained the type of cryptocurrency regulatory framework he believes Donald Trump could adopt in the country. In a recent interview with CNBC, French Hill said that the recently passed FIT21 bill is the type of regulatory framework the Trump administration will adopt in the sector.
#FIT21 passed the House with 71 Democratic votes, it’s exactly the kind of digital asset regulatory framework former President Trump would support if re-elected.
See more on @SquawkCNBC🔽 photo.twitter.com/ceTmU4LApU
— French Hill (@RepFrenchHill) July 3, 2024
THE FIT21 Bill It is intended to protect investors and consumers in the market by establishing clear rules and powers for the various regulators in the sector. According to Hill, Trump will adopt it because it directs the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on the specific regulatory framework needed in the market.
“… for people who are innovating and starting a crypto token, a related business, custody of those assets, how to ensure consumer protection, so I think that framework is the right approach and that’s what I’m going to recommend to the President to pass, which is that we have not passed it between now and the end of this Congress.”
He also called Trump an innovative and pro-growth president in financial matters.
Cryptocurrency is going mainstream
This election cycle saw the cryptocurrency industry taking a place in mainstream issues following broader adoption across demographics. From candidates moving toward enthusiasts to recent pro-Congress legislation, cryptocurrencies have become a rallying point for officials. The U.S. regulatory landscape has been criticized for stifling growth due to frequent SEC LawsuitsThis has led executives to push for pro-cryptocurrency laws and raise money for pro-industry candidates.
Read also: Federal Reserve Predicts “AI Will Be Deflationary” to Stimulate Economy
David is a financial news contributor with 4 years of experience in Blockchain and cryptocurrency. He is interested in learning about emerging technologies and has an eye for breaking news. Keeping up to date with trends, David has written in several niches including regulation, partnerships, cryptocurrency, stocks, NFTs, etc. Away from the financial markets, David enjoys cycling and horseback riding.
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US Court Orders Sam Ikkurty to Pay $84 Million for Cryptocurrency Ponzi Scheme
A federal court has ordered Jafia LLC and its owner, Sam Ikkurty, to pay nearly $84 million to cryptocurrency investors after ruling that the company was operating a Ponzi scheme.
The ruling, issued by Judge Mary Rowland in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, follows a lawsuit filed by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in 2022 after the fund collapsed.
Judge Rowland found that Ikkurty, based in Portland, Oregon, did numerous false claims on his company’s hedge funds.
These included misleading statements about his trading experience and the promise of high and stable profits. Instead, Ikkurty used funds from new investors to pay off previous investors, a hallmark of a Ponzi scheme.
The Ponzi Scheme
The court found that Ikkurty misappropriated investment funds for personal use without the knowledge of the investors. These funds were used for personal use and were reported as Fraudulent Investmentscausing significant financial losses to customers.
This non-transparent operation violated Transparency Commission regulations, which led to the imposition of a hefty fine to compensate defrauded investors and restore some public confidence in the financial system.
Judge Rowland emphasized that fraudulent activity such as this violates the law and undermines the integrity of modern financial markets. The $84 million award seeks to address the financial harm inflicted on investors and reinforce the importance of legal compliance in cryptocurrency trading.
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