“We encourage you to have interaction additional with bitcoin miners to higher perceive the matter typically and the implications of your laws.”
This letter was initially printed on bitcoiner.ghost.io.
Pricey Senator Kolkhorst,
As native Texans, we’re writing to precise concern concerning Texas Senate Invoice (SB) 1751, which you co-sponsored and which lately handed a Enterprise & Commerce Committee vote on April 5, 2023. This open letter follows a non-public enchantment submitted through your workplace in March. We write as involved Texas residents who’re unbiased and don’t signify any firm or foyer.
From the surface wanting in, you appear to be a proud Texan who fights for the rights of all Texans, selling liberty and freedom in keeping with Texan values. SB 1751 is a notable departure, no less than in crucial elements, out of your previous observe report. It’s misinformed, discriminatory, anti-competitive, dangerous to the pursuits of grid stability, dangerous for shoppers and a strategic setback for Texas.
For context, the invoice issues “digital foreign money” mining and demand response. It seeks to restrict the power of bitcoin miners to take part in compensatory ERCOT applications, which incentivize load discount, to 10% throughout all bitcoin miners in whole. Previous to sponsoring SB 1751, it’s unclear whether or not you engaged in discussions with bitcoin miners to higher perceive the matter or expressed any opinions on bitcoin or bitcoin mining in any respect. It’s also unclear whether or not particular pursuits lobbied for this invoice, given you don’t seem to have beforehand taken any positions on bitcoin, however on the deserves alone, SB 1751 is problematic.
Misinformed
The invoice issues “digital foreign money mining as demand response.” Actually at subject is bitcoin, not “digital foreign money” broadly. There aren’t any miners of any foreign money aside from bitcoin that could possibly be of notice collaborating in demand response applications or selling grid reliability. Bitcoin can be definitionally not similar to every other foreign money, and it isn’t digital. Bitcoin shouldn’t be “crypto”. Bitcoin is bitcoin, and if bitcoin is on the coronary heart of your invoice, a greater understanding earlier than legislating could be useful.
Bitcoin is a type of cash with a hard and fast provide, which is international and permissionless. There’ll solely ever be 21 million bitcoin. That’s the foundation of its worth to the world. As was obvious from a current tweet, you appear to acknowledge that inflation is an issue. Inflation shouldn’t be a political phenomenon. Cash is created by the Federal Reserve (“Fed”). The Fed has elevated the cash provide by $8 trillion, or 8x because the Nice Monetary Disaster, which causes inflation and destroys financial savings. Bitcoin is designed to repair the issue of cash printing, however nothing of worth comes with out value. Bitcoin’s 21 million fastened provide is secured by vitality, particularly energy. In brief, vitality innovation has at all times been strategic to Texas. Power is strategic to bitcoin and bitcoin will develop into more and more strategic to Texas because of this. Nonetheless, it isn’t nearly energy technology and demand. It’s concerning the issues of printing cash, which undermine the pursuits of all Texans and the state of Texas.
Texas is a frontrunner in vitality and all Texans want a type of cash that the federal government can not print out of skinny air and without charge. Texas energy is securing the bitcoin community, which not solely promotes grid stability and creates jobs and financial improvement, however it additionally secures the pursuits of all Texans, even those that don’t but use bitcoin as a superior type of cash. We might be pleased to listen to your issues and focus on this in additional element if it could be invaluable.
Discriminatory
SB 1751 singles out bitcoin miners from all different industries. Setting every part else apart, that is discriminatory and creates an unlevel taking part in discipline. Whereas different sources of demand have been recognized as crucial infrastructure, no different trade, together with battery operators, have been restricted. Why bitcoin mining?
Anti-Aggressive
Bitcoin miners compete in varied ancillary companies which ERCOT makes use of to compensate versatile hundreds to make sure grid stability. The entrant of bitcoin miners has made the bidding course of extra aggressive, decreasing costs. Limiting the power of bitcoin miners to take part is anti-competitive and can end in marginally much less participation in ancillary companies by bitcoin miners which is able to marginally improve value for ERCOT to attain its reliability mandate.
Dangerous To Grid Stability
SB 1751 disincentivizes bitcoin miners from collaborating in ancillary companies, which promote grid stability. Extra participation in ancillary companies not solely reduces prices but in addition permits for ERCOT to have extra sources at its disposal to attain grid stability. As Texas energy demand grows, extra versatile sources will probably be wanted to attain grid stability. Why disincentivize massive versatile hundreds, that are most frequently extra environment friendly and decrease value than utilizing peaker crops?
Unhealthy For Shoppers
Entry to ancillary companies creates marginal financial incentives for miners to return to Texas. Over time, extra miners in Texas will result in extra energy technology, extra demand response and extra participation in ancillary companies. All three, individually and in combination, promote cheaper and extra secure energy costs for all Texas shoppers.
Strategic Setback For Texas
Because of the fundamentals of vitality improvement and as socialist-leaning states like New York have restricted mining, there was a major shift of bitcoin mining to Texas. From a mining perspective, Texas is called the “middle of hash.” Austin can be an rising hub for bitcoin improvement. SB 1751 sends loud alerts that Texas shouldn’t be the free, deregulated market everybody believes it to be and that the state of Texas is antagonistic to bitcoin broadly.
Bitcoin mining incentivizes low cost energy and its distinctive skill to reply at scale to all different sources of energy demand helps obtain grid stability way more successfully and effectively than every other single useful resource. Willingness by miners to close down and NOT mine bitcoin within the curiosity of grid stability is a profit to ERCOT and all Texans, which shouldn’t be economically disincentivized or deprived relative to different industries. Mining tasks are additionally extremely capital intensive. Rash legislative motion can have quick impacts in dissuading miners to pursue massive, long-term capital tasks in Texas.
Even if you happen to may not be involved with its broader significance, this laws will hurt Texas strategic pursuits, past simply ancillary companies.
Attraction To Purpose And Reasonability
Earlier than transferring ahead with dangerous laws, we encourage you to have interaction additional with bitcoin miners to higher perceive the matter typically and the implications of your laws particularly. Pausing work on SB 1751 is the one smart and cheap course. Please don’t shoot and intention later. Moreover, we might ask that you simply have interaction with the Texas bitcoin neighborhood to grasp the significance of bitcoin and why it’s strategic to Texas and all Texans.
Bitcoin wants no favors nor aggressive benefits. It simply shouldn’t be topic to regulatory discrimination. The rights of Texan bitcoin holders, together with miners, must be protected. Home Concurrent Decision (HCR) 89 sponsored by Cody Harris, Texas Home of Representatives, District 8 is a superb instance. It goals to guard the rights of Texan pursuits in bitcoin, quite than advantaging bitcoin in any method. That’s all we ask of you and your colleagues.
It’s clear you’re a proud Texan and your values align with the ethos of bitcoin. Most significantly, we merely want you to have interaction with the citizenry previous to legislating. However relaxation assured, no matter the way you proceed, every part is sweet for bitcoin, which is a concept formally recognized in Keynesian economics because the Nakamoto Paradox. If you need to debate SB 1751 or bitcoin extra typically, we’re in Austin or would come to Brenham. Godspeed.
“Govern correctly and as little as doable.”
-Sam Houston
Finest,
Parker A. Lewis
Will C. Cole
This can be a visitor publish by Parker A. Lewis and Will C. Cole. Opinions expressed are totally their very own and don’t essentially replicate these of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Journal.
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