Linn County commissioners used a workshop session to scrutinize a draft regulation that would govern data centers and cryptocurrency mining, flagging high water consumption, potential noise and cooling impacts, and financial assurance for site reclamation.

Commissioner (S4) cited draft language that would treat large consumptive users differently and referenced a threshold of more than "10,000 gallons a day" that would trigger a requirement to demonstrate a sustainable water supply and monitoring to avoid impairing neighboring wells or public systems. Several commissioners noted the county"s water supply is near capacity and said that water-use provisions should be explicit.

On financial assurance, the draft requires a bond payable to Linn County at no less than 125% of the decommissioning-cost estimate to ensure sites are reclaimed. Chair (S2) and others asked who would determine cost estimates; the draft points to the county board as the approving authority.

Commissioners also discussed whether a local hiring plan or community benefit mitigation could be a condition of a Conditional Use Permit (CUP). Some supported the idea of requesting a plan ("a company may come in and say, here's our plan"), while others questioned its enforceability.

Commissioners agreed to strike a draft line that would have banned crypto in certain areas because the commission felt it was redundant once industrial-only siting was adopted. They directed staff to consolidate edits, consult county counsel Jacqueline on legal enforceability, and post the revised drafts for a public hearing.