Texas Bill That Would Limit Miners’ Participation in Cost-Saving Grid Programs Stopped in House Committee

A Texas state bill that would have limited bitcoin miners’ participation in cost-saving grid programs has not moved past a committee in the state House of Representatives, meaning its progress has been halted.

Bill SB 1751 passed through the state Senate unanimously in April. It would have limited bitcoin miners’ participation in demand response programs – under which they get paid in credits to turn off their operations when the power grid sees a surge of demand – to 10% and abolish tax abatements for the industry.

The news that the bill wouldn’t pass the House was first tweeted by Dennis Porter, an advocate that has been heavily involved in the bill’s process. “This win ensures that energy innovation will continue to grow” in the U.S. and “highlights the power of the bitcoin community,” Porter said in a statement to CoinDesk.

The statement emphasized the importance of the campaign mounted against the bill by Porter’s organization, the Satoshi Action Fund, as well as industry groups Digital Chamber of Commerce and Texas Blockchain Council.

A House committee that would have recommended the bill to the full legislature never voted on it, the statement said.

Texas is one of the biggest mining hubs in the world, thanks to favorable regulation and cheap energy.

UPDATE (May 30, 19.19 UTC): Updates Porter’s title to “advocate.”