Mississippi senate passes bill to protect cryptocurrency miners from discrimination

cointelegraph.com:

The American state of Mississippi is one step closer to protecting the rights of cryptocurrency miners after the state senate passed the Mississippi Digital Asset Mining Act on Feb. 8. There is a companion bill under consideration in the state house of representatives. 

The senate bill, authored by state Sen. Josh Harkins, legalizes home digital asset mining and the operation of mining businesses in areas zoned for industrial use. There are already crypto miners operating in Mississippi, which has some of the lowest electricity rates in the country. However, the bill claimed:

In addition, the bill prohibits limiting noise from home mining beyond existing limits, imposing requirements on miners beyond those locally applied to data centers or changing the zoning of a mining center without proper notification and an opportunity to appeal. It prohibits the Public Service Commission from imposing discriminatory rates on mining businesses and exempts home and business miners from money transmitter status.

The bill also provides the state with a legal definition of “virtual currency.”

Related: Bitcoin price is up, but BTC mining stocks could remain vulnerable throughout 2023

Mississippi is one of the states where the Satoshi Action Fund has been active. Fund CEO Dennis Porter spoke at a meeting of the Mississippi Senate Finance Committee in January and mentioned the potential for crypto miners to use orphaned oil and gas wells as a power source.

₿: Mississippi Senate passes historic bill protecting #bitcoin mining “It shall be legal in the State of Mississippi to run a node for the purpose of home digital asset mining” and “operate a digital asset mining business” pic.twitter.com/AiVbw9AtIi

Both the senate and house bills mention