HEMATITE — Off a quiet gravel road in Jefferson County sits a new mining facility that will use massive amounts of electricity to operate. It awaits one final step of governmental approval before it can begin working to earn digital cryptocurrency.

“It’s ready to have the key turned on. It’s just sitting there,” said Mitch Bair, the director of county services and code enforcement.

But some Jefferson County residents say the plan has remained under the radar and the public is only finding out now that it is on the brink of operation. They are concerned about adding an energy-intensive facility to the local power grid, potential noise levels and the impact on property values. And they harbor distrust about the industry because, for example, some authorities view cryptocurrencies as a

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