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Read. Follow. Verify.Arkansas Senate resolution authorizes bill to regulate water and power use by digital asset mining
Last action · April 29, 2026: Died in Senate at Sine Die adjournment.Sponsor: Bryan King
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What This Bill Proposed
The Arkansas Senate authorized the introduction of a to empower state agencies to monitor, restrict, or shut down and blockchain operations that threaten critical water supplies or the reliability of the electric grid.
Cryptocurrency miners and blockchain networks operating in Arkansas face potential service halts or business closures if state regulators determine their water usage is excessive or that they jeopardize electric grid stability.
- The Arkansas Data Centers Act of 2023 established initial state-level frameworks regarding the operation of data centers and digital asset mining within Arkansas. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
blockchain networks and digital asset mining businesses
Operations are subject to mandatory monitoring, potential utility service halts, and business closures if water or electrical thresholds are breached.
utilities
May be directed by the Arkansas Public Service Commission to halt service to specific blockchain or digital mining businesses.
Key Facts
- The Arkansas Natural Resources Commission is required to monitor the impact of blockchain networks and digital asset mining on state water usage and promulgate implementation rules.
- The Arkansas Natural Resources Commission may take action against blockchain or digital mining businesses if their operations threaten critical groundwater supplies through excessive water use.
- The Arkansas Public Service Commission is required to monitor the impact of blockchain networks and digital asset mining on the electric grid and promulgate implementation rules.
- The Arkansas Public Service Commission may direct a utility to halt service to a blockchain or digital mining business if operations threaten electric grid reliability.
Show all 6 facts
- Initial rules for both commissions must be filed with the Secretary of State for adoption on or before January 1, 2027, or as soon as practicable after Legislative Council approval.
- Proposed rules must be submitted to the Legislative Council sufficiently in advance of January 1, 2027, for review.
Frequently Asked Questions
What triggers a shutdown or halt of a digital asset mining operation under this measure?
Which state agencies are given oversight authority?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died on the Senate floor.
Procedural history
4 actions- Apr 29, 2026SenateDied in Senate at Sine Die adjournment.
- Apr 21, 2026SenateRead third time and failed of adoption.
- Apr 8, 2026SenateIntroducedRead the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and placed on the calendar.
- Apr 6, 2026SenateIntroducedFiled
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Expansion of Regulatory Powers Over Blockchain
The measure amends the Arkansas Data Centers Act of 2023 to grant specific shutdown and monitoring powers to natural resource and public service commissions.
Connected Entities
Sources
arkleg.state.ar.us
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy75Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz45Current news / social attention level
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