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A decision from the Senate Commerce Committee regarding a legislation focused on liberalizing crypto mining in New Hampshire was divided on Thursday, after senators mentioned that public input on the legislation had increased since its previous discussion.
Following two deadlock situations—first on progressing the legislation and then on dismissing it—the committee finally cast a vote of 4–2 to forward the proposal for additional examination in an interim study, as initially reported by the New Hampshire Bulletin.
House Bill 639 aims to stop localities from imposing restrictions on crypto mining, such as regulations surrounding electricity usage or noise, and also forbid state and municipal authorities from imposing taxes specific to digital assets.
If authorized, the legislation would additionally support the rights of individuals and businesses to mine cryptocurrencies, and propose the establishment of a specialized blockchain court within the state’s superior court, where cryptocurrency-related conflicts would be adjudicated by a judge designated by the governor.
During the initial vote on the legislation in May, senators returned the proposal to the committee for refinement in its wording and to garner additional support. The bill is backed by Republican Representative Keith Ammon and is projected to be presented before the entire Senate in 2026.
On Thursday, Senator Tara Reardon of Concord informed the New Hampshire Bulletin that the proposal had elicited the highest volume of emails she had received for a single piece of legislation.
Related: US crypto miners might hasten to acquire rigs in tariff pause despite ‘clear disadvantage’
Crypto mining in the US
Crypto mining employs computing resources to validate transactions and secure proof-of-work blockchains such as Bitcoin, rewarding miners with newly generated coins in the process.
Although it has faced criticism for its substantial energy consumption and ecological consequences, the sector has made significant advancements since its inception.
A recent study from the MiCA Crypto Alliance and data analytics firm Nodiens revealed that coal’s contribution to Bitcoin mining has decreased from 63% in 2011 to 20% in 2024. Throughout this time frame, the adoption of renewable energy in mining has steadily advanced, increasing by an average of 5.8% each year.
Nonetheless, several US states are attempting to counterbalance energy usage with state-imposed taxes. On Oct. 2, New York State Senator Liz Krueger presented a bill for a graduated excise tax on energy utilized by crypto mining operations.
This proposal would exclude miners using up to 2.25 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually, while those consuming between 2.26 million and 5 million kWh would incur a 2-cent tax per kWh.
Magazine: 7 reasons why Bitcoin mining is a poor business decision
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