As Lawmakers and regulators debate the next steps in crypto regulation, cryptocurrency miners are developing a new voice in U.S. policy by founding the Digital Energy Council to advocate for supportive legislation.
The White House President Joe Biden has been advocating a punitive 30% excise tax on mining operations for the "harms they impose on society," which has put the miners in a precarious situation. Democratic M.P.s have also consistently criticized miners, claiming that the businesses pose harm to the environment
The focus on how the energy and digital asset mining sectors can cooperate and work together to support energy sustainability and efficiency has been lost in policy discussions, according to Tom Mapes
The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of International Affairs had previously employed Mapes as its chief of staff. In a statement, Mapes said, "it's important that the energy and digital asset mining communities, both key stakeholders in our nation's grid, have a real voice at the federal level.
According to Zach Bradford, CEO of CleanSpark (CLSK), a company that has been gradually growing during the crypto winter, the Digital Energy Council is the only organization in Washington, D.C. that is specifically focused on the convergence of mining and energy abundance.
Bradford stated in an email that "politics is a team sport" and that "the bigger our coalition and the more committed the efforts, the better