Concerned Citizens Advocate for Regulation of Cryptomining at Arkansas Capitol

The Arkansas 2024 Fiscal session is heating up as concerned citizens from various communities gathered at the Capitol today to voice their opinions on the controversial issue of cryptomining. The topic has become a focal point of this year’s session, with many lawmakers agreeing that it needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.

Members from Pope County, Arkansas County, and Faulkner County made the journey to the Capitol to urge legislators to better regulate the cryptomining industry and repeal Act 851, a law that limits how local governments can regulate the new industry. The sentiment among these citizens is clear – they do not want cryptomining in their communities.

“We don’t want it in our county, we don’t want it in our state, we don’t want it in our country. We’re all working towards the same thing– it’s to get rid of it,” said one concerned citizen.

The issue has become so contentious that Arkansas County enacted a noise ordinance that led to a lawsuit from a new cryptomine in the area. Members of this community were present at the Capitol today to speak with legislators about their concerns and advocate for local control over the industry.

Tami Hornbeck, chair of the committee for Protect Arkansas, emphasized the importance of educating legislators on the impact of cryptomining on communities and the need for local control. “There have been many bills and resolutions introduced, and we are very hopeful that they all will be heard because there are merits to all of them,” she said.

As of today, all eight cryptomining resolutions have been adopted in the senate, bringing them one step closer to being officially introduced. The debate over cryptomining regulation is far from over, and it remains to be seen how lawmakers will address the concerns of their constituents in the coming days.