Plattsburgh’s Crypto Moratorium Questioned

November 28, 2018 8:44 PM

In March, the city of Plattsburgh, New York, instituted an 18-month moratorium on new crypto operations on the city after its inexpensive electricity rates led to a local mining boom. The city council is using that time to determine how to fairly regulate the industry. Although the council has adopted new regulations, the moratorium remains in effect, WAMC Northeast Public Radio reports.

“We’re the local guys in town and it’s really hurt our business,” Ryan Brienza, the CEO of local crypto mining firm Zafra LLC, told councilors in October. “We’ve just been trying to grow. Some of the biggest hedge funds in the country and stuff have contacted us and they wanted to locate here back before the moratorium but once this moratorium hit all the interest is gone now. So Plattsburgh’s really missed out on a big opportunity.”

During last week’s meeting, Brienza readdressed the council. Brienza has invented a device that would channel the excess heat that mining rigs produce as building heat, significantly reducing the city’s energy cost. Brienza, accordingly, asked the council to end the moratorium prior to its 18-month expiration.

While there was curiosity about the invention and its implementation, the city gave no indication of opting to end the moratorium early. Plattsburgh was one of the first US cities to ban crypto mining within its city limits, citing noise and excessive electrical use.

Frederick Reese is a politics and cryptocurrency reporter based in New York. He is also a former teacher, an early adopter of bitcoin and Litecoin, and an enthusiast of all things geeky and nerdy.

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