By Elaine Giessel, Chair, Sierra Club Kansas Chapter
The “Rock in the Road” is a landmark in McLouth, KS. This large boulder of very hard, pink Sioux quartzite sits in the middle of the intersection of South Granite Street and East Lucy Street. It was dragged by a glacier from distant outcrops in the upper Midwest and left behind as the ice melted thousands of years ago. This ancient glacial erratic is surrounded by asphalt because it was simpler to pave around the rock than move it.
The citizens of McLouth proved to be just as immoveable recently when a large crypto mining operation was proposed on the edge of town. The developer planned to burn natural gas to run the generators required to provide electricity to large banks of computers. Among the community concerns were the environmental issues associated with development of the project on top of an existing fossil fuel field.
The McLouth residents educated themselves and organized in opposition, initiating a social media campaign, circulating petitions, and lobbying elected officials.
Several residents contacted the Kansas Sierra Club for assistance, as reported in the last edition of Waypoints. On the Road Again - Sierra Club Edition
We met with local members and submitted comments in opposition to the project. The result? Jefferson County Commissioners issued a one-year moratorium on crypto mining projects. And the permit application for the project was withdrawn the afternoon before the Planning Commission was to hold a public meeting on the proposal. This is a win worth celebrating, even if the story may not be over. Kudos to the concerned citizens of McLouth, who proved to be the rock in the road.
See how Sierra Club recognized the efforts of Kansas Sierra Club and McClouth activists in this video.
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