Resident urges county action on Bitcoin/data centers, warns of noise and water impacts

A resident who identified herself as Virginia used the public-comment period to urge the Bedford County Court to consider local regulatory steps — including drafting codes or a short moratorium — to address noise, water use and other community impacts from proposed Bitcoin/data centers.

"There are people who want to do an absolute ban, which is illegal. You can't tell a business they can't do business," Virginia said, urging commissioners to pursue a targeted approach. She cited cases in other communities where code provisions blocked projects or led to litigation and offered to help the commission collect research, case studies and data on decibel limits and other controls.

Virginia said data centers have been proposed in the county before and referenced a prior 2023 pitch. She told the commission she has researched other towns’ experiences and cautioned that a long moratorium can be struck down unless it clearly shows a county's intent to develop enforceable codes. Commissioners acknowledged her offer and indicated interest in working with community members to develop guidance or a shorter-term moratorium if appropriate. No formal direction to draft an ordinance was recorded in the meeting minutes.

The comment came after a lengthy agenda of budget and administrative actions. Commissioners did not take immediate policy action on the data-center issue at the meeting; the record shows the resident’s offer to assist should provide material for a staff or committee review in a subsequent meeting.