A Bitcoin mine in Montana rumbles back to life. Ten megawatts humming, S19j Pro Antminers whirring. Hyperscale Data's Sentinum subsidiary is back in the game, chasing Bitcoin's rising price. CEO Will Horne, seen above, is understandably thrilled, speaking about having “pretty tremendous dynamics… going on right now” and record revenues. Before we uncork the champagne and declare a crypto renaissance, let's ask a crucial question: at what cost?

A Green Bitcoin Dream?

We're constantly told Bitcoin is evolving. That its environmental impact is being addressed. The Montana mine would be a beacon of that transformation. Imagine it—wind farms across Big Sky Country producing abundant, cheap clean energy. In the process, solar panels soak up all that glorious Montana sunshine. Now picture that same mine leading the charge for renewable energy expansion. It creates good, local jobs and powers a clean, sustainable economic driver for the booming community. A truly green Bitcoin. A Bitcoin that aligns with progressive values.

Is that what's actually happening? The press release touts record-high revenues and flexibility to keep bureaucracy out of operations. Just as an example, it totally disregards where that 10 megawatts is coming from. Or is it clean energy or coal-fired power—instead exacerbating the climate crisis and local air pollution? Have we just exchanged one variety of fiscal liberty for a different variety of ecological plunder?

This is where the second “unexpected” connection comes into play. Think about the gold rush. Adventurers poured into Montana, looking for fortunes, and many mines left behind a legacy of environmental destruction and social upheaval. Are we repeating that pattern with Bitcoin? Are we just putting the analog gold rush in a highly-regulated, potentially-more-predatory box?

Who Benefits from This Boom?

Let's be real. Bitcoin mining, today, isn’t a poster child for social justice. It eats up tons of energy. This is particularly egregious in low-income communities where access to affordable, reliable electricity is already a struggle. It creates electronic waste, which disproportionately affects marginalized communities by polluting the environment and causing serious health issues. And the profits? They tend to flow to large corporations and wealthy investors, not to the people living next door to the humming, energy-guzzling mines.

What are the social justice implications of this Montana based operation? Will it lead to permanent opportunities for local people, or will it just bring in workers and deepen inequities? Will it provide a significant increase in local tax revenues? Or worse, will it exploit loopholes to limit its financial impact on the community to a minimum?

The progressive vision of Bitcoin isn't just about environmental sustainability. It's about social sustainability too. All communities—regardless of race, income, or geography—deserve the benefits this technology will provide. We need to ensure that marginalized communities are not disproportionately burdened by its expenses. Can Bitcoin be leveraged as a tool to uplift those communities, providing meaningful access to low cost financial services and creating new economic opportunities? Alternatively, will it just prop up established power dynamics and further entrench the social divide?

The Transparency Test

Hyperscale Data intends to divest from Ault Capital Group through the end of 2025. This final decision imposes another layer of complexity and cost to their operations. So where does that leave Sentinum and the proposed Montana mine? What assurances will there be that the joint venture will remain committed to emphasizing positive environmental and social impacts post-divestiture?

The key here is transparency. We need to know where the power is coming from. We want a glimpse into the environmental impact assessment process. We don’t know exactly what the company’s plans for community engagement are going to entail. To make meaningful improvements, we require hard data, not just aspirational commitments.

In commercials promoting the S19j Pro Antminers, we’re told these are “mid-tier efficiency machines.” It’s little wonder that such a lackluster embrace of innovative, green technology serves as a leading endorsement. Instead, it comes off like a corporate greenwashing effort to save money while sacrificing future sustainability.

And that “methodical testing phase” prior to re-starting full-scale operations? Or are they just pretending to develop ways to improve operations and reduce their carbon footprint? Perhaps they are merely gauging market sentiment before starting the high-stakes odyssey of a mega-carrier startup.

The future of Bitcoin depends on whether we choose to answer hard questions. If we want it to reflect progressive values, we need to demand honest answers. The Montana mine is a test case. It’s a chance for the industry to prove to the world that Bitcoin mining can and should be conducted responsibly and sustainably. It's a warning. If we aren’t willing to hold companies like Hyperscale Data accountable, we’ll be doomed to make the same mistakes of yesteryear. This has the potential to be detrimental to the core values that should steer the future of this technology.

Is Bitcoin really back? Perhaps. Whether this truly heralds the arrival of a green future remains to be seen. It could simply be a very green window dressing on that same old extractive business as usual. You decide.