Pennsylvania State House Committee Passes Bill on 'Reporting Requirements' for Crypto Miners

The Environmental Resources and Energy Committee of the Pennsylvania General Assembly recently passed a bill which proposes “reporting requirements for qualifying crypto-asset mining operations.” Sponsor of the draft legislation Greg Vitali said the bill “doesn’t prohibit any cryptocurrency operation from operating in any way.”

Reporting Requirements for Crypto Miners

The Pennsylvania House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee recently passed a bill on “reporting requirements for qualifying crypto-asset mining operations and for an impact study.” The committee also reportedly voted to remove the two-year moratorium on new mining operations from Bill 1476.

According to a report published by The Centre Square, the bill was passed despite resistance by Republicans on the committee. Sponsored by committee chairman Greg Vitali, the bill will now be forwarded to the full house. Explaining why he pushed for the bill’s passage, Vitali reportedly said:

This bill simply is a reporting and study bill. It doesn’t prohibit any cryptocurrency operation from operating in any way. It simply requires them to report what they are doing. Right now we’re in a situation where many cryptocurrency operations are gravitating towards Pennsylvania and we simply don’t know where they are and what they’re doing.

As per the draft bill, owners of qualifying crypto-asset mining operations will be required to furnish authorities with “the number and geographic locations” of any such operations. The type of mining machines, and their purchase as well as their retirement dates. As expected, the proposed law also requires crypto miners to share with authorities the amount of electricity consumed as well as when it is used.

However, Martin Causer, a Republican from Bradford, who opposed the bill, said the reporting standards proposed in the Vitali-sponsored bill are “burdensome and not necessary.” Concerning crypto miners’ alleged contribution to the State’s pollution legacy, the Republican representative said:

“A lot of these operations utilize waste coal and actually are beneficial to cleaning up waste coal in the commonwealth — which I think is beneficial.”

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