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Pennsylvania lawmaker introduces bill for ‘strategic Bitcoin reserve’

The proposed legislation would allow the State of Pennsylvania’s Treasurer to invest up to 10% of its funds in Bitcoin, suggesting a multibillion-dollar investment.

Pennsylvania lawmakers have introduced legislation in the state’s House of Representatives to permit its treasury to hold up to 10% in Bitcoin on its balance sheet.

In a Nov. 12 memo, Representative Mike Cabell, a Republican, said he had proposed the bill as a tool to protect against inflation, claiming using Bitcoin (BTC) as a hedge could “offer stability in uncertain economic times.”

The legislation, if passed, would allow Pennsylvania’s Treasurer to invest up to 10% of the State General Fund, the Rainy Day Fund and the State Investment Fund in Bitcoin. As of November, the state’s Treasury reported it had more than $9.7 billion in its General Fund and roughly $7 billion in its Rainy Day Fund.

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Bitfarms inks another 10,000 Bitcoin miner hosting agreement with Stronghold

The Bitcoin data center firm is deploying an additional 10,000 miners to Stronghold’s Scrubgrass site. 

Crypto mining firm Bitfarms has signed its second hosting agreement with United States-based Stronghold Digital Mining to expand operations at its site in Pennsylvania.

Under the terms of the hosting agreement, the Bitcoin (BTC) data center operations firm will deploy an additional 10,000 miners to Stronghold’s Scrubgrass site. The mining hardware was originally expected to be used for its Yguazu site in Paraguay.

Bitfarms CEO, Ben Gagnon, said that optimizing company assets with these rapid upgrades at Stronghold’s Pennsylvania sites “will provide significant near-term value for Bitfarms.”

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Ethereum Believers May Be Staring Down Opportunity As ETH Reaches Another Low Against Bitcoin: CryptoQuant CEO

Bitfarms inks another 10,000 Bitcoin miner hosting agreement with Stronghold

The Bitcoin data center firm is deploying an additional 10,000 miners to Stronghold’s Scrubgrass site. 

Crypto mining firm Bitfarms has signed its second hosting agreement with United States-based Stronghold Digital Mining to expand operations at its site in Pennsylvania.

Under the terms of the hosting agreement, the Bitcoin (BTC) data center operations firm will deploy an additional 10,000 miners to Stronghold’s Scrubgrass site. The mining hardware was originally expected to be used for its Yguazu site in Paraguay.

Bitfarms CEO, Ben Gagnon, said that optimizing company assets with these rapid upgrades at Stronghold’s Pennsylvania sites “will provide significant near-term value for Bitfarms.”

Read more

Ethereum Believers May Be Staring Down Opportunity As ETH Reaches Another Low Against Bitcoin: CryptoQuant CEO

Pennsylvania House of Representatives Passes Bi-Partisan Crypto Bill Protecting Citizens’ Rights to Self-Custody

Pennsylvania House of Representatives Passes Bi-Partisan Crypto Bill Protecting Citizens’ Rights to Self-Custody

Pennsylvania’s House of Representative is passing a new bi-partisan crypto bill that protects the self-custody rights of customers, establishes Bitcoin (BTC) as a valid payment method, and provides clear guidelines on how BTC transactions should be taxed. According to new documents, Pennsylvania’s House passed the bill – known as the “Bitcoin Rights bill” – earlier […]

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Ethereum Believers May Be Staring Down Opportunity As ETH Reaches Another Low Against Bitcoin: CryptoQuant CEO

Bitcoin Bill Clears Major Hurdle in Pennsylvania, Signaling Crypto Regulation Changes

Bitcoin Bill Clears Major Hurdle in Pennsylvania, Signaling Crypto Regulation ChangesThe Pennsylvania House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan bill that protects the rights of residents to self-custody bitcoin and use it as a payment method, while establishing tax guidelines for bitcoin transactions. The Bitcoin Rights bill, which passed 176-26, now moves to the state Senate, amid growing interest in digital assets as states […]

Ethereum Believers May Be Staring Down Opportunity As ETH Reaches Another Low Against Bitcoin: CryptoQuant CEO

Pennsylvania, Wisconsin drive surge in crypto interest among swing states

According to a16z’s “State of Crypto” report, crypto interest has surged in three of the top five swing states since 2020.

Digital assets may not be a top issue in the United States presidential elections, but they are increasingly becoming a key topic for many voters, particularly in swing states.

According to a16z’s “State of Crypto 2024” report, data from Google Trends indicates that Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, both expected to host tight races, have recorded the fourth- and fifth-largest increases in cryptocurrency search interest since the 2020 elections.

Other swing states, such as Michigan and Georgia, have also seen a surge in cryptocurrency queries, while Arizona and Nevada have experienced moderate declines in interest since 2020. These states can swing either way — Democratic or Republican — during presidential elections, often playing a crucial role in determining the outcome of US elections.

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Ethereum Believers May Be Staring Down Opportunity As ETH Reaches Another Low Against Bitcoin: CryptoQuant CEO

Bitcoin Scam Targets US County Residents With Fake Warrants

Bitcoin Scam Targets US County Residents With Fake WarrantsA scam email targeting residents of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, is falsely soliciting Bitcoin payments to resolve supposed arrest warrants. The fraudulent emails claim to be from authorities like the “FDIC government office warrant division” and include misleading subject lines such as “Montgomery County Sheriff office false claims division.” These emails contain fake documents, including a […]

Ethereum Believers May Be Staring Down Opportunity As ETH Reaches Another Low Against Bitcoin: CryptoQuant CEO

Pennsylvania crypto mining permit halt cut from bill after union pressure

The bill’s sponsor Greg Vitali included a clause that instead subjects miners to ongoing reporting requirements to get the bill past a House Committee.

A Pennsylvania House Representative has cut a two-year crypto mining ban from their bill to regulate the sector’s energy consumption claiming trade labor unions pressured the change.

On Oct. 16, the Pennsylvania House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee passed the Cryptocurrency Energy Conservation Act by a slim margin — 13 for and 12 against — after no movement on the bill since its introduction to the Committee on June 21.

The Committee’s chair and the bill’s sponsor, Democratic Representative Greg Vitali, told local media outlet The Pennsylvania Capital-Star the same day that he was pressured by Democratic Party leaders not to run the bill inclusive of the moratorium.

Excerpt of the amended House Bill No. 1476 with the two-year crypto mining moratorium struck off. Source: Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Rep. Vitali said building trade labor unions had “chronic opposition” to environmental policy and claimed the unions had his Democratic colleagues in their pocket.

“Frankly, [the unions have] the ear of House Democrats, and they have the ability to peel off members who would otherwise be supportive of good environmental policy.”

Vitali claimed voting against the unions would risk the Democratic majority in Pennsylvania’s House and he would rather see the bill pass sans moratorium than not at all.

“I learned the hard way in my first six months as majority chair that there’s not a high tolerance for strong environmental policy,” Vitali added.

The two-year ban would have stopped approvals of new and renewed permits to operate a crypto mining facility. The bill now instills an impact study on miner operations and new reporting requirements.

Related: Bitcoin miners seek alternative energy sources to cut costs

Within six months, miners in with state have to submit information on the number of mining sites operated and the size of each site, along with information on energy sources, emissions reports, and energy and water consumption.

Pennsylvania-based crypto miners will have to submit the reports annually. New miners to the state must submit the same report before starting operations.

Crypto miner Stronghold Digital Mining has set up shop in Pennsylvania — the third-largest coal-producing state in the United States — and purchased two coal-burning power plants on the premise it would turn the plant’s waste into energy to power hundreds of Bitcoin (BTC) mining rigs.

In July, the miner sought approval to burn shredded tires to produce up to 15% of its energy needs, a move strongly opposed by local environmental groups.

Bitcoin mining firm TeraWulf also has a nuclear-powered site in Pennsylvania.

Magazine: Recursive inscriptions — Bitcoin ‘supercomputer’ and BTC DeFi coming soon

Ethereum Believers May Be Staring Down Opportunity As ETH Reaches Another Low Against Bitcoin: CryptoQuant CEO

US voters across 4 swing states oppose anti-crypto pres candidates: Coinbase

A poll of voters in New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio and Pennsylvania found 55% would be less likely to vote for anti-web3 presidential candidate, said Coinbase.

Crypto exchange Coinbase says it will focus its "Stand with Crypto" campaign on nine states in the U.S., including four “swing states” with voters polled as less likely to choose anti-crypto presidential candidates.

The four “swing states” include New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, which are just some of the states the crypto exchange is set to focus its “Stand with Crypto” campaign, it said in a Sept. 19 blog.

“Polling in the fall of 2022 showed that in the key states of NH, NV, OH, and PA, over half (55%) of voters stated that they would be less likely to vote for candidates who oppose crypto and Web3,” said Coinbase, citing survey data collected in a Morning Consult poll a year prior.

The October-published poll included 800 likely voters across the four states. Between 13-19% of respondents in the four states claimed to own cryptocurrency at the time of the polling.

Percentage of voters in the four swing states that own cryptocurrencies or nonfungible tokens. Source: Morning Consult

Coinbase also cited that in Nevada, Ohio and Pennsylvania in particular, more than 40% of crypto owners use blockchain to remit money overseas to help family members pay for food, housing and health care for far less than what banks typically charge with international wire transfers.

Coinbase attempts to mobilize crypto users

The highlighted research comes amid an ongoing “Stand With Crypto” campaign, a 14-month-long campaign launched by Coinbase in August, pushing for crypto legislation in the country.

Coinbase said the campaign will focus on the four “swing states” but will also include an intense focus on Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, and Wisconsin, which have an “over-index” when it comes to crypto owners, it said.

“While a growing number of elected officials in Congress are advocating for legislation to regulate crypto and drive progress in the financial system, others are simply choosing to protect the status quo.

Coinbase is also set to organize a “Stand with Crypto Day” will take place in Washington D.C. on Sept. 27 to advocate for better cryptocurrency innovation and policy.

Related: Coinbase CEO says leaving US ‘not even in the realm of possibility right now’ — Report

The campaign is also encouraging crypto owners and supporters to take a moment to call their members of Congress and ask them to pass clear, sensible legislation.

“Today we kick off this effort by rallying the collective energy of the community, and taking the fight off X (formerly known as Twitter) and on to the phones."

“The campaign will encourage crypto owners and supporters to take one minute of their day to call their member of Congress and ask them to pass clear, sensible legislation,” it added.

Magazine: Binance, Coinbase head to court, and the SEC labels 67 crypto-securities: Hodler’s Digest, June 4-10

Ethereum Believers May Be Staring Down Opportunity As ETH Reaches Another Low Against Bitcoin: CryptoQuant CEO

Pennsylvania Lawmaker Says New Crypto Bill Is Coming After Positive Ripple Lawsuit Outcome

Pennsylvania Lawmaker Says New Crypto Bill Is Coming After Positive Ripple Lawsuit Outcome

A Pennsylvania Republican is reportedly planning to propose new crypto legislation after last week’s verdict in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) lawsuit against Ripple. Bloomberg reports that Representative Glenn Thompson is optimistic about getting support for the crypto bill he is championing following the court’s decision that Ripple did not violate securities law […]

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Ethereum Believers May Be Staring Down Opportunity As ETH Reaches Another Low Against Bitcoin: CryptoQuant CEO