(Reuters) – The New York State Legislature has passed a bill that would impose a two-year moratorium on the use of fossil-fuel power plants to provide energy to miners of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, but the governor has yet to sign it.
Cryptocurrency mining requires a lot of electricity to power computer systems that compete to solve mathematical puzzles to validate blockchain transactions. The miner who solves the puzzle first is rewarded with cryptocurrency.
The State Assembly passed the bill in April and the Senate passed it late last week. Officials at the Governor’s office did not comment on Monday when asked whether she would sign bill.
The bill is part of the state’s effort to reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions by 85% by 2050.
Cryptocurrency mining operations “are an expanding industry in the State of New York” that “will greatly increase the amount of energy usage” in the state, according to the bill.
To prevent cryptocurrency mining from increasing greenhouse gas emissions, the bill would impose a moratorium on air permit issuance and renewal for an electric generating facility that utilizes a carbon-based fuel and provides energy used by crytocurrency mining operations.
(Reporting by Scott DiSavino; Editing by David Gregorio)
