Pennsylvania House Representative to Remove Crypto Mining Ban from Energy Regulation Bill
A Pennsylvania House Representative has decided to eliminate a proposed two-year ban on crypto mining from a bill aimed at regulating the sector's energy consumption.
In a Monday filing, the Pennsylvania House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee approved the Cryptocurrency Energy Conservation Act with a narrow margin of 13 votes in favor and 12 against.
The bill had remained stagnant since its introduction to the Committee on June 21.
Democratic Representative Greg Vitali, the Committee's chair and the bill's sponsor, said in a statement to local media outlet The Pennsylvania Capital-Star that he faced pressure from Democratic Party leaders to remove the moratorium from the bill.
Vitali attributed the influence to building trade labor unions, stating that they consistently opposed environmental policies and had significant sway over his Democratic colleagues.
“Frankly, [the unions have] the ear of House Democrats, and they have the ability to peel off members who would otherwise be supportive of good environmental policy.”
He expressed concern that going against the unions would risk the Democratic majority in Pennsylvania's House, leading him to make the decision to pass the bill without the moratorium.
Vitali acknowledged that strong environmental policies faced limited support, as he learned during his first six months as the majority chair.
Despite his disappointment, he claimed that passing the bill without the ban was better than not passing it at all.
The proposed two-year ban would have halted the approval of new and renewed permits for operating crypto mining facilities.
Instead, the revised bill now requires an impact study on miner operations and imposes new reporting requirements.
Miners within the state
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