On May 2, representatives of the national crypto lobby and leaders of New York’s state legislature appeared at New York’s state capitol building in Albany tothat has passed the Assembly, the legislature’s lower chamber. In the state Senate, the bill is currently awaiting consideration before the Environmental Conservation Committee.
“If we are able to win in New York that will seriously make other states think twice before engaging,” Kristin Smith, executive director of the Blockchain Association, told The Block. “If we succeed it will convince other states that it’s not worth their time.” Cleve Mesidor is a longtime advisor to the Blockchain Association who launched a 501c3 organization called the Blockchain Foundation in March. She appeared in Albany to promote the role of Black and Hispanic communities in the blockchain industry. Mesidor also leads the National Policy Network of Women of Color in Blockchain.
Also speaking on crypto mining’s job production was Addie Jenne, a former Democratic Assemblymember and current lobbyist for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. The IBEW wasAssemblymember Anna Kelles is the author and most public proponent of the bill. Speaking with The Block, Kelles was skeptical. “There’s been continual information coming out that this industry creates very little jobs,” she said.
Marathon Power, another miner, also launched a New York lobbying program in 2021, paying Mirram Group $110,000 over the year. Those efforts included lobbying State Senator Kevin Parker, the sponsor of the bill in New York’s Senate.