Mississippi Senate Passes ‘Right to Mine’ Bill Protecting Bitcoin Miners from Discrimination

The Mississippi Digital Asset Mining Act would not only legalize home digital asset mining at a private residence and operating a digital asset mining business in an area zoned for industrial use, but it would also protect individuals or companies engaged in proof-of-work (PoW) digital asset mining in the state from “regulatory challenges at the state and local level.”

This means that if signed into law, the bill would prohibit implementing noise limits for home mining beyond currently defined limits, imposing requirements beyond those applied to data centers, modifying the zoning of a mining business without proper notice, procedure and opportunity to appeal, and establishing a “discriminatory rate schedule” for crypto mining businesses. The bill would also exempt miners from money transmitter status.

Mississippi has some of the lowest electricity rates in the US, and lawmakers see the bill as a means to encourage more cryptocurrency-based investments.

This new development shows a shift in interest in cryptocurrency in the US, especially since 2022 was marked by a downturn that was fueled by a series of scandals in the broader crypto sector.

What do you think about it?