Call for the passage of A.7389-C/S.6486-D to institute a two-year moratorium on new fossil fuel permits for proof-of-work cryptocurrency mining and to direct an environmental review

A coalition of organizations and businesses urges New York State to pass legislation instituting a two-year moratorium on fossil fuel permits for proof-of-work cryptocurrency mining to protect the state's climate goals and vulnerable communities.

• The proposed legislation A.7389-C/S.6486-D would establish a two-year moratorium on the issuance and renewal of air permits for fossil-fuel electric generating facilities that provide energy for Proof-of-Work (PoW) cryptocurrency mining, while directing the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to perform an environmental review.
• Proof-of-work mining is identified as a significant threat to New York's climate goals under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which aims for an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 levels by 2050 and 70% renewable energy for electricity by 2030.
• The document asserts that PoW mining is extremely energy-intensive, noting that if Bitcoin were a country, its energy usage would rank in the top 30 worldwide, comparable to the annual electricity use of Washington State.
• Environmental risks associated with PoW mining include the production of approximately 30,700 tons of annual electronic waste due to the short 18- to 24-month lifespan of ASIC miners, and potential degradation of water quality due to the discharge of hot water from power plants.
• The authors argue that the negative impacts of crypto mining disproportionately affect low-income and BIPOC communities, who often live near polluting peaker plants and fossil fuel facilities that may be kept operational longer to meet mining energy demands.
• The document highlights more sustainable alternatives to PoW, specifically the proof-of-stake methodology, which is stated to use over 99% less energy.

APA

Earthjustice (2022). Call for the passage of A.7389-C/S.6486-D to institute a two-year moratorium on new fossil fuel permits for proof-of-work cryptocurrency mining and to direct an environmental review. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/4.22.22_a7389c_letter_legislativeleadership.pdf

Chicago

Earthjustice. Call for the passage of A.7389-C/S.6486-D to institute a two-year moratorium on new fossil fuel permits for proof-of-work cryptocurrency mining and to direct an environmental review. 2022. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/4.22.22_a7389c_letter_legislativeleadership.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Earthjustice |title=Call for the passage of A.7389-C/S.6486-D to institute a two-year moratorium on new fossil fuel permits for proof-of-work cryptocurrency mining and to direct an environmental review |date=27 April 2022 |url=https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/4.22.22_a7389c_letter_legislativeleadership.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{earthjustice2022call, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{Call for the passage of A.7389-C/S.6486-D to institute a two-year moratorium on new fossil fuel permits for proof-of-work cryptocurrency mining and to direct an environmental review}}, publisher = {Earthjustice}, year = {2022}, month = apr, url = {https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/4.22.22_a7389c_letter_legislativeleadership.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }