The Senate Commerce Committee voted on a bill to deregulate crypto mining in New Hampshire on Thursday, amidst a surge in public feedback since its last discussion.
After two deadlocks—once for advancing the bill and again for rejecting it—the committee ultimately voted 4–2 to send the measure for further review in interim study, as first reported by the New Hampshire Bulletin.
House Bill 639 aims to prevent municipalities from imposing restrictions on crypto mining, such as regulations on electricity consumption or noise, as well as prohibit state and local authorities from levying taxes specific to digital assets.
If approved, the bill would also affirm the rights of individuals and businesses to mine cryptocurrencies and propose the creation of a dedicated blockchain docket in the state’s superior court for handling crypto-related disputes by a judge appointed by the governor.
During the bill’s initial vote in May, senators returned the measure to the committee for language adjustments and to garner more support. Sponsored by Republican Representative Keith Ammon, the bill is expected to be presented to the full Senate in 2026.
On Thursday, Senator Tara Reardon of Concord remarked to the New Hampshire Bulletin that this proposal had generated the highest volume of emails she had ever received for a single bill.
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Crypto mining in the US
Crypto mining utilizes computing power to validate transactions and secure proof-of-work blockchains like Bitcoin, rewarding miners with newly minted coins.
Though criticized for its significant energy consumption and environmental effects, the industry has evolved substantially since its inception.
A recent report from the MiCA Crypto Alliance and data firm Nodiens showed that coal’s contribution to Bitcoin mining has decreased from 63% in 2011 to 20% in 2024. Concurrently, renewable energy usage in mining has steadily increased, averaging an annual growth of 5.8%.
Nevertheless, some US states are trying to mitigate energy consumption through state taxes. On Oct. 2, New York State Senator Liz Krueger proposed a bill imposing a tiered excise tax on energy used by crypto mining operations.
This measure would exempt miners using up to 2.25 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually, while those consuming between 2.26 million and 5 million kWh would incur a tax of 2 cents per kWh.
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