Crypto Firm Mara Sued by Texas Residents Over Alleged Data Center Noise and Dead Chickens
May 20, 2026
Crypto Firm Mara Sued by Texas Residents Over Alleged Data Center Noise and Dead Chickens
A group of Texas residents has filed a lawsuit against Mara, a publicly traded cryptocurrency mining company, alleging that its data center operations have caused extreme noise pollution and led to the deaths of livestock, including chickens. The case highlights growing tensions between industrial-scale crypto mining facilities and rural communities in the United States.
The lawsuit, filed in a Texas state court, claims that Mara’s data center in Granbury, Texas, generates continuous, high-decibel noise from cooling fans and power infrastructure, disrupting the daily lives of nearby homeowners. Plaintiffs assert that the noise levels have exceeded local ordinances and have caused measurable harm, including sleep deprivation and property devaluation. In a striking detail, residents reported that the relentless sound caused chickens on nearby farms to die from stress, a claim that has drawn national attention to the environmental footprint of crypto mining operations.
Mara, one of the largest Bitcoin miners by market capitalization, operates extensive data center campuses across North America. The Granbury facility, like many such sites, relies on thousands of high-performance computing rigs that generate substantial heat, requiring constant cooling. According to court documents, the noise from the facility can be heard from over a mile away, with some residents recording sound levels exceeding 70 decibels at night. The company has previously stated its commitment to being a good neighbor and adhering to local regulations, but the lawsuit alleges that efforts to mitigate noise, such as installing sound barriers, have been insufficient.
Industry analysts note that this case underscores a broader challenge for the crypto mining sector: as operations scale up to compete in the post-halving landscape, they increasingly clash with residential areas over land use, energy consumption, and environmental impact. Legal experts suggest that the outcome of this lawsuit could set a precedent for how data center noise complaints are adjudicated, potentially forcing miners to invest more heavily in soundproofing or relocate to remote industrial zones. Mara has not yet filed a formal response to the complaint, but the company is expected to vigorously defend its operations as compliant with state and local permits.
Source: datacenterknowledge
