Hawkins County leaders address ongoing data mining center lawsuit

Hawkins County leaders addressed an ongoing federal lawsuit challenging its ban on data centers. ExoticRidge Crypto Company claims the ban is “unconstitutional, arbitrary and was enacted in violation of Tennessee state law.” Monday, attorneys for Hawkins County recommended that the commission clarify some of the actions it has taken and that the county has the power to regulate harmful land uses. It was also recommended that commissioners add more specific language clarifying some of what the county has done, making it clear what the county did and why, according to attorneys with the Southern Environmental Law Center, which is helping the county fight the lawsuit. ExoticRidge filed the suit after the county blocked a data mining center it had planned to open in Bulls Gap.