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Louisiana teachers' union concerned about educators' future; Supreme Court hears arguments in Trump immunity case; court issues restraining order against fracking waste-storage facility; landmark NE agreement takes a proactive approach to CO2 pipeline risks.

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Speaker Johnson accuses demonstrating students of getting support from Hamas. TikTok says it'll challenge the ban. And the Supreme Court dives into the gray area between abortion and pregnancy healthcare, and into former President Trump's broad immunity claims.

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The urban-rural death divide is widening for working-age Americans, many home internet connections established for rural students during COVID have been broken, and a new federal rule aims to put the "public" back in public lands.

Foreign Cryptomining Companies Eye Eastern KY for Cheap Power

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Monday, April 10, 2023   

Foreign-owned crytomining companies are staking out Eastern Kentucky for cheap electricity, and the state's major utilities want to give them discounted rates on their electric bills.

Critics warn cryptomining, which creates digital currency like Bitcoin, is an energy-intensive industry, putting stress on electric grids.

Thom Cmar, senior attorney for EarthJustice, said there is little track record of the companies' impact on local economies, but they tend to employ a small number of people and siphon a massive amount of power.

"These facilities are essentially these large warehouses full of computers, that are plugged into the grid all day and trying to run these computations in order to earn Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies," Cmar explained.

The Kentucky Public Service Commission will hold a hearing this week on Kentucky Utilities' proposed special rates for the crypto company "Bitiki" seeking to build a plant in Union County. In a separate case, Kentucky Power and Kentucky Utilities propose special rates for another company, called Ebon, to build a plant in Lawrence County.

Under state law, utilities are allowed to offer special rates as an incentive for businesses. Supporters argued the intention of an incentive is attracting companies to bring jobs and other economic benefits to the utility's service area.

Josh Bills, certified energy manager for the Mountain Association, pointed out Eastern Kentucky residents have been hit the past few years with rate increases and fuel surcharges. He said he is worried if the companies go belly-up after wearing out the grid, ratepayers might be left footing the bill.

"We just want to make sure that the electric bill gets paid if this doesn't pan out, if they ramp up and a year later have to close shop," Bills stressed. "We just want to make sure that none of that electricity that was consumed is not paid for."

He added utility companies could instead be channeling resources toward building renewable energy capacity, since tax credits currently available from the federal government would help offset costs.

Disclosure: Mountain Association contributes to our fund for reporting on Community Issues and Volunteering, Consumer Issues, Environment, and Rural/Farming. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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