Sign the moratorium
“Our future is at stake.” That’s what it says at climate.ny.gov, the state’s website for the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. “If we each do our part, we’ll lower harmful emissions ... while transforming New York’s economy, creating new jobs, and building more resilient communities.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul might consider those words as she weighs a two-year moratorium on new cryptocurrency mining powered by fossil fuels. She won’t commit to signing the bill, saying she must evaluate “opportunity for jobs” along with climate concerns. “There’s a balancing act involved here,” she said.
Seen through the lens of the CLCPA, though, it isn’t complicated. Gov. Hochul shouldn’t pretend it is.
Lowering emissions? According to industry tracker Digiconomist, one Bitcoin transaction uses enough electrical energy to power an average U.S. household for 75.92 days. Crypto mining is bringing fossil-fuel plants out of mothballs just when New York has
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pledged to swear off fossil fuels.
Economy and jobs? The largely automated work means jobs are limited — indeed, communities have found crypto mining didn’t bring the hoped-for benefits. Resilient communities? Towns cannot build a future on a volatile, unregulated industry dependent on a decaying energy system.
This isn’t a permanent ban. It’s a limited, necessary pause to see how — and if — mining fits New York’s needs.
The state urges that we “each do our part.” That goes for Ms. Hochul, too.
At last, the right to repair
America’s not much on “repair and reuse.” Newer, better, faster — that’s more our style. But even when we’d like off the consumer carousel — with its waste and depletion of resources — we don’t always have a choice.
With digital technology, planned obsolescence and high repair costs can leave us no option but to replace even fairly new devices. Tech companies control the fix-it market by barring access to manuals, parts and tools. That monopoly boosts repair costs — and the chance you’ll just toss your broken phone and get a new one.
New York’s first-in-the-nation Digital Fair Repair Act may change that. It requires electronics manufacturers to provide repair information to consumers and independent repair technicians. That could save New Yorkers money, boost small businesses and cut waste. Those effects would be magnified if our law spurs a nationwide policy change.
More transparency, please
It’s odd that a Saratoga Springs Police Department arrest report for an October stabbing did not name the “Caroline Street establishment” where the assault took place. Even odder that it was, says The Daily Gazette, Gaffney’s — which has complained that police have been focusing on that bar despite there being “fights everywhere” on Caroline Street, as staff members said. Indeed, the ruckus has continued after Gaffney’s was shuttered last month.
In any case, the department’s omission of the name is a poor decision. It’s in the public interest to divulge where violent incidents occur. And in rebuilding trust between police and the community, transparency is key. Commissioner of Public Safety James Montagnino should remember that.