Democratic New York Governor Kathy Hochul recently signed a two-year moratorium on an energy-intensive form of cryptocurrency mining into law.
The narrowly-targeted legislation passed earlier this year pauses the issuance of new and renewed state air quality permits for proof-of-work crypto mining operations in fossil fuel power plants.
It’s being hailed a national first, but advocates say it’s only the start for an underregulated industry.
Environmental lobbying group Earthjustice’s New York Policy Advocate Liz Moran is a supporter of the new law. She spoke with WAMC's Lucas Willard.