Large-scale Bitcoin (BTC) mining is expanding in the United States. Now Republican Senator Cynthia Lummis has invited companies and anyone who makes life in this sector of cryptocurrencies to settle in her state, Wyoming.
Lummis is an advocate of bitcoin as an alternative to the protection of value and as an investment mechanism. For the official, the first cryptocurrency should be part of investment portfolios and even retirement funds.
During an interview with the CNBC network, the senator indicated that digital mining should not be misjudged for allegedly using energies that are not mostly clean. The reason is that” there are many things that prove otherwise, ” the legislator said. In fact, three days after his statements, Lummis share on Twitter a message in which he ratified his position and stated that miners were welcome in Wyoming.
“If you are in the Bitcoin mining space, please contact us. We want you in Wyoming,” said Lummis on the popular social network. The lawyer recalled that Bitcoin mining is increasingly using renewable energy sources for its operation and that innovation in this field is still developing.
As for the use of the US dollar as a reserve currency on a global scale, Lummis explained that this will continue to be the case. However, he questioned the fact that the economy of his country is being “flooded” with billions of dollars, something that it would be weakening the value of the American national currency. “I’m worried about having all our retirement money denominated in U.S. dollars,” he added.
Mining Bitcoin with renewable energy
Bitcoin mining has recently been questioned for allegedly employing non-renewable energy sources. The claim is not new, but it caught media attention after Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, pointed to it as causing a “huge cost” to the environment, a fact reported by CriptoNoticias.
According to researchers at the University of Cambridge, 76% of the energy used in Bitcoin mining comes from renewable sources. The miners use mostly hydropower, but they also use wind, solar and geothermal energy. That is, to a lesser extent digital mining uses sources derived from oil, for example.
About Wyoming it is important to remember that it is one of the most Bitcoin-friendly provinces in the United States. In February 2019, the state legalized BTC and the rest of the cryptocurrencies as a means of payment. According to the law, digital assets are defined as property and operate like fiat money.