On Thursday, the Arkansas Senate City, Country and Local Affairs Committee had their say on a bill that would prohibit businesses from digital asset mining within a 30-mile radius of five military facilities.
A motion for the committee to approve an amended version of the bill was rejected in a 6-1 vote.
The proposed bill, U.S. Arkansas Senate Bill 60, was co-sponsored by Sen. Ricky Hill and House Speaker Brian Evans.
Within the subtitle of the bill, it states: “To prohibit a digital asset mining business from being located within a thirty-mile radius of a military facility; and to declare an emergency.”
The emergency clause would suggest immediate implementation, with the bill citing national security and state security risks.
The proposed bill has been rejected by the Arkansas Senate 6-1
According to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Hill said the landlocked state has roughly 53,000 square miles and the Senate Bill 60 would prevent a crypto mining facility within a 30-mile radius around the Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center, Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Little Rock Air Force Base, Camp Joseph T. Robinson Maneuver Training Center, and the Pine Bluff Arsenal.
If it had been passed, the bill would also have allowed the state to revoke permits given to a crypto mining facility if it is located close to a military establishment.
This rejection of the bill comes at a time when the future of the crypto industry in the US looks to be favorable, as the newly-inaugurated Donald Trump has shown his support.
The entrepreneur-turned-politician regularly spoke of making the US the global crypto capital throughout his campaigning, with his success in the election receiving praise from many members of the community.
Bitcoin mining is already big business in the US and it’s not yet known how Trump’s position of power will impact this going forward.
It was during the campaigning process, that Trump was reported to have claimed he wants “all the remaining Bitcoin to be MADE IN THE USA!!!”
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