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Per the New York Times, New York enacted a temporary ban on new cryptocurrency mining permits at fossil fuel plants, a move aimed at addressing the environmental concerns over the energy-intensive activity. The legislation signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul was the latest setback in a bruising financial month for cryptocurrencies.
According to Fast Company, In the past few years, cryptocurrencies and other “digital assets” have seen explosive growth, surpassing a $3 trillion market cap worldwide last November, up from $14 billion five years earlier. VCs have invested nearly $12.5 billion in cryptocurrency and blockchain companies globally in 2022 so far, outpacing last year’s total investment of $30.7 billion. And a Pew Research survey last November found that 16% of adult Americans (and about 30% of those between ages 18 and 29) have invested in, traded, or used cryptocurrencies. The Blockchain Association spent some $225,000 on lobbying in Albany this year to try to defeat the bill Hochul just signed and promote alternative legislation. Members of the association also donated thousands of dollars to Hochul’s surprisingly tight campaign, which left some environmental advocates worried she might let the bill die. State legislators passed the bill back in June, and Hochul faced an end-of-the-year deadline to sign or veto it. New York state passed a Climate Act in 2019 to slash its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 85 percent by 2050. New York’s Mining Moratorium will likely be mimicked across different states that have state legislatures controlled by progressive, environmentalist legislators. When deciding whether to mine Bitcoin, make sure to work with a provider that can explain their host jurisdiction’s regulatory stances on mining for cryptocurrency. Comments are closed.
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