By Michael Scott
The Montana State Senate enacted a bill safeguarding crypto miners from enforcement against the industry. The bill passed on February 23 will likely overturn the existing Missoula county zoning law considered a pioneer legislation in the US for the mining industry.
Majority Vote in Favor of Bill Safeguarding Crypto Miners
The bill seeks to safeguard crypto miners from possible enforcement actions targeting the industry. The proposed legislation received 37 majority votes in favor against 13 and is awaiting approval in the Montana State’s House.
A notable provision in the bill is safeguarding at-home miners. In particular, it prohibits imposing discriminatory utility rates. Also, the bill proposes that crypto utilized to settle payment is exempted from incurring additional taxes.
Extinguishing Local Government Powers to Enforce Action Against At-Homing Mining
The legislation extinguishes power exercised by local governments by prohibiting such authorities from enforcing actions detrimental to at-home mining. Also, it targets eliminating instances when the local governments would retroactively apply zoning laws to crackdown on active operations.
The bill is poised to reverse the 2020 Missoula County Ordinance that obliges all bitcoin mining firms to either purchase or build renewable energy matching their energy consumption.
The proposers of the bill sympathized with the bitcoin miners who recently have become victims of policies formulated by US lawmakers and environmentalists. In particular, the bill debate state saw the issue of carbon neutrality goals and electrical grid parity emerge as adversely affecting the miners.
Bills Empower Bitcoin miners in Fight Against Local Actions
The proposed bill is set to empower bitcoin miners who have recently fought back through five bills within the state legislatures to safeguard the industry against extreme actions. The recent bill enacted by the Montana Senate relied upon the input of the Satoshi Action Fund, identified as a Bitcoin advocacy group that helps in drafting the language.
In an interview regarding zoning laws in Montana, Satoshi Action Fund chief executive Dennis Porter decried the disguised attempt to push miners from the region. He observed that occasionally miners would incur higher electricity rates in an effort to scuttle their operations.
Missouri and Mississippi States Propose Bills to Protect Crypto Miners
The approval of the bill before the State’s House would likely reverse the rules embraced by Missoula County in April 2019, directing miners to operate within the light and heavy industrial regions. Also, the law locked out miners by mandating them to utilize renewable energy.
Montana proposals mirror the bill passed by the Mississippi State Senate early this month to shield crypto miners’ exploitative and discriminatory policies. The bill is before the state’s House.
Elsewhere, Missouri state had similar proposals enshrined in the Digital Asset Mining Protection Act targeting to enforce the crypto miners’ rights of operations. The proposals have been a work in progress since the bill’s mid-January introduction before the state legislature.