Montana Senate passes bill protecting crypto miners.
The legislation passed could run into problems with the Missoula county zoning law, which was probably one of the first laws in the United States to target the mining industry.
Montana Senate Passes Bill Protecting Crypto Mining
Crypto mining has had a tough time last year due to rising energy prices and low cryptocurrency prices. In fact, many companies sought many ways to avoid going bankrupt in 2022. Additional rights were granted to miners during this period.
The Montana State Senate has passed a bill that protects crypto miners from a range of potential actions against the industry. The proposed law was passed 13 to 37 in the Senate. The law will go to the state legislature for approval.
The bill would protect mining at home. It avoids discriminatory usage rates for miners and proposes that cryptocurrency used as payment should not be subject to additional taxes.
The legislation also draws strength from local governments, preventing them from acting against home mining or using retroactive zoning laws to shut down active operations.
The new law could possibly curb the 2020 Missoula County zoning ordinance that requires all Bitcoin miners to purchase or build renewable energy assets equivalent to their energy consumption.