Mississippi senate passes bill to protect cryptocurrency miners from discrimination

The American authorities of Mississippi is 1 measurement person to protecting the rights of cryptocurrency miners aft the authorities legislature passed the Mississippi Digital Asset Mining Act connected Feb. 8. There is simply a companion measure nether information successful the authorities location of representatives. 

The legislature bill, authored by authorities Sen. Josh Harkins, legalizes location integer plus mining and the cognition of mining businesses successful areas zoned for concern use. There are already crypto miners operating successful Mississippi, which has immoderate of the lowest energy rates successful the country. However, the measure claimed:

“Digital plus mining has often faced regulatory challenges astatine the authorities and section level.”

In addition, the measure prohibits limiting sound from location mining beyond existing limits, imposing requirements connected miners beyond those locally applied to information centers oregon changing the zoning of a mining halfway without due notification and an accidental to appeal. It prohibits the Public Service Commission from imposing discriminatory rates connected mining businesses and exempts location and concern miners from wealth transmitter status.

The measure besides provides the authorities with a ineligible explanation of “virtual currency.”

Related: Bitcoin terms is up, but BTC mining stocks could stay susceptible passim 2023

Mississippi is 1 of the states wherever the Satoshi Action Fund has been active. Fund CEO Dennis Porter spoke astatine a gathering of the Mississippi Senate Finance Committee successful January and mentioned the imaginable for crypto miners to usage orphaned lipid and state wells arsenic a powerfulness source.

— Documenting ₿itcoin (@DocumentingBTC) February 9, 2023

Both the legislature and location bills notation orphan wells. The location measure would acceptable up a authorities Digital Asset Mining Council that would see the usage of the wells arsenic a mining powerfulness root and different issues passim the year. The location measure has passed the Ways and Means Committee but has not been debated connected the location floor.

Mississippi’s authorities contrasts with the two-year moratorium connected crypto mining passed successful New York and signed into instrumentality successful November.