The City Council in Vancouver has approved a motion to investigate becoming a ‘bitcoin-friendly city,’ however, the province of British Columbia continues to impose a ban on BTC mining until December 2025. The ban in B.C., implemented in December 2022 to address energy concerns, faced a legal challenge from Conifex Timber in early 2024.
The court upheld the policy as reasonable and aligned with public utility regulations. BC Hydro, the largest electricity utility in the province, relies on hydroelectric power for over 90% of its electricity. While Vancouver’s motion highlights the financial benefits of BTC and mentions the advantages of BTC mining, it cannot influence mining due to electricity regulation and BC Hydro’s operations under provincial jurisdiction.
An updated version of the Energy Statutes Amendment Act, first drafted after B.C. Hydro suspended BTC mining connections to the provincial grid, specifically enables the provincial government to bypass the BC Utilities Commission, the electricity regulator, giving them direct authority to regulate electricity service for crypto.
Conifex Timber argued that these conditions were “unduly discriminatory and unreasonable,” but ultimately lost their case. There is uncertainty regarding whether the province could regulate the availability of electricity for other industries similarly. Local bitcoin mining bans are not rare, with New York having a moratorium (with an exception for renewable energy) and states like Arkansas and Montana enacting laws to protect BTC miners from “discrimination.” Pennsylvania recently dropped its mining ban to prioritize energy conservation bills.
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