- Montana legalizes cryptocurrency mining, paving the way for industry growth.
- The legislation ensures fair utility rates for crypto miners and companies.
- Bill revisions ban discriminatory digital asset mining utility rates.
Recent reports on Twitter have announced that Montana has legalized cryptocurrency mining within the state. In February of this year, the Montana Senate House passed the “Right to Mine” Bitcoin (BTC) bill with an impressive vote of 37-13. Also, this bill grants citizens of Montana the right to own and operate cryptocurrency mining equipment without any interference from the government.
BREAKING: The Montana Senate has passed the ‘Right to Mine’ #Bitcoin bill by a landslide vote of 37-13. pic.twitter.com/Gk367kiSRu
— Satoshi Action Fund (@SatoshiActFund) February 23, 2023
The passing of this bill is a significant win for those who support the growth and innovation of the cryptocurrency industry. Also, it paves the way for Montana to become a hub for cryptocurrency mining and attracts new investors and businesses to the state.
By allowing citizens to mine Bitcoin without legal barriers, Montana is taking a proactive approach to support the development of the cryptocurrency industry. The state recognizes the potential economic benefits that come with the growth of this emerging market.
The passing of this bill will provide a safeguard for crypto miners and companies against unfair charges. However, the legislation will undergo revisions of existing crypto laws to ban any instances of “discriminatory digital asset mining utility rates” within the state.
Bill Ensures Fair Utility Rates
The bill ensures that crypto miners and companies are not subject to discriminatory utility rates, meaning they will not be charged higher rates than other industries for using the same amount of energy. This new legislation aims to provide an equal playing field for all businesses, regardless of the industry in which they operate.
Montana has recently legalized crypto mining following accusations by the New York Times against Riot Inc, a prominent Bitcoin mining company in the US. The article alleged that Riot Inc used significant electricity in their cryptocurrency mining operations, releasing large amounts of greenhouse gases into the environment. As a result, Montana has legalized crypto mining, allowing companies like Riot Inc to continue their operations in the state.
CoinDesk media recently reported that the Texas Senate passed a bill to limit the participation of Bitcoin (BTC) miners in demand response programs. These programs pay miners to reduce their energy consumption during periods of high energy demand.
The bill sets a cap on the participation allowed and aims to regulate the energy usage of Bitcoin mining operations in the state. Moreover, this move was made in response to concerns about the strain such operations can place on the state’s power grid.