Resident asks supervisors about Bitcoin-mining moratorium; board outlines regulatory next steps

Tracy Lamolin, a resident attending the Aug. 11 meeting, asked the Des Moines County Board of Supervisors whether the county has a timeline for considering a moratorium on Bitcoin-mining operations and what investigations the board would undertake to inform a decision. Lamolin said there are widely varying opinions about the industry and asked the board to gather more information and follow up.

County Attorney Mister Hinkleby and board members distinguished two processes: placing an ordinance or regulatory framework in place (the purpose of a moratorium) and reviewing any specific project expansion within that regulatory framework. Hinkleby said gathering information and hearing from stakeholders takes time and noted the board wants a clear regulatory structure before acting: "we're just starting to gather information... we have to hear from everybody," he said.

Board members and a supervisor raised technical questions about project scale and service capacity after Lamolin referenced claims that a local operator planned to expand from roughly 4.5 megawatts to as much as 25 megawatts. A supervisor asked utility and water-supply follow-ups to ensure a large expansion would be feasible. One board member said a board representative should speak directly with the project proponents to clarify those technical and infrastructure constraints.

No formal moratorium was adopted at the meeting; supervisors described the next steps as information-gathering, drafting regulatory options and following up with the project proponents and utilities.