Two other Assemblymen, Ken Zebrowski and Amy Paulin of New York State, joined 43 other Assemblymen in supporting Proof-of-Work (PoW) Mining Suspension Bill A7389B. ) powered by fossil fuels for three years.
According to the bill, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) is required to assess the state’s crypto mining industry and determine its impact on air quality, water and greenhouse gas emissions.
@annakelles is touting a build of of support in the assembly for her proposed bitcoin mining moratorium bill, where it stalled due to the union opposition. pic.twitter.com/YoRaN8r0sK
— Jimmy Jordan (@jmmy_jrdn) February 24, 2022
Earlier in February, State Representative Anna Kelles said NYSDEC’s comments will inform them of what action to take, whether it’s a complete ban on mining or a single suspension.
She added when proposing the legislation to the state legislature last May:
“if that’s what’s needed to ensure that industry doesn’t get in the way of us meeting our climate goals.”
45 out of 100 MPs support the bill now
However, the bill still has a long way to go with only 45 of the 150 Assembly members now willing to support it. By law, a simple majority of Assembly members is required to support the bill to be submitted to the Governor for final approval.
Jumaane Williams, a gubernatorial candidate, while supporting the legislation expressed environmental concerns saying mining operations would be detrimental to the state’s economy.
Special computers are needed during crypto PoW mining to perform the mathematical equation as new blocks are created on the blockchain. Currently, Bitcoin and Ethereum are the main users of the PoW consensus mechanism. However, Ethereum is expected to move to proof-of-stake this year to avoid this power-consuming mining process.
For many years, environmentalists have been talking about PoW mining in the environment. According to CoinShares, 0.08% of global CO2 emissions are the result of Bitcoin mining. Slush Pool’s chief marketing officer, Kristian Csepcsar, told Cointelegraph on February 14 that the focus on green mining is “market noise” when green energy is produced in an opaque process.
Last October, state-owned companies asked Governor Kathy Hochul not to allow crypto miners to move into defunct power plants so that the state’s climate goals don’t go away.
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