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Read. Follow. Verify.Arkansas House Bill 1009 Imposes Extraordinary Energy Fees and Oversight on Digital Asset Mining Businesses
Last action · April 29, 2026: Died in House Committee at Sine Die adjournment.Sponsor: Ron McNair
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What This Bill Proposed
Arkansas House Bill 1009 requires es and blockchain networks to pay annual fees ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 based on their monthly , while establishing new oversight and penalty procedures administered by the Department of Energy and Environment.
es face tiered annual fees and mandatory reporting requirements for high energy consumption, with fee revenue allocated to state agencies for monitoring and enforcement.
- HR 1009 was introduced during the 2026 Fiscal Session of the 95th General Assembly of the State of Arkansas by Representative McNair and ultimately died in committee. context
- Digital asset mining operations consume significant electrical energy, prompting legislative and regulatory efforts across several states to impose specialized fees, monitoring, and environmental oversight. 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.
digital asset mining businesses
Digital asset mining businesses and blockchain network operators must pay tiered annual fees based on monthly electrical usage, submit usage estimates and documentation, and face potential criminal and financial penalties for false statements.
Department of Energy and Environment
The department collects energy usage fees, receives usage estimates and reconciliations, issues fee refunds, promulgates implementation rules, and receives 25% of fee proceeds for oversight and monitoring.
State Securities Department
The department receives 50% of the extraordinary electrical energy usage fee proceeds to fund personal services and operating expenses dedicated to monitoring digital asset mining for fraud and illegal activities.
Office of the Attorney General
The office receives 25% of the fee proceeds to be used for personal services, operating expenses, and investigations into oversight, monitoring, and state and national security concerns.
Key Facts
- A digital asset mining business or blockchain network operating as of the effective date must pay an annual fee to the Department of Energy and Environment for extraordinary electrical energy usage during the preceding calendar year.
- The annual fee is scaled into four tiers: $25,000 for 1 MW to 2.49 MW per month, $50,000 for 2.5 MW to 4.99 MW per month, $75,000 for 5 MW to 10 MW per month, and $100,000 for usage exceeding 10 MW in any given month.
- Businesses beginning operation after the effective date must submit a good faith estimate of anticipated energy usage and applicable estimated fees before consuming electricity.
- Within 30 days after completing one full calendar year of operation, new businesses must submit an attestation of their estimate, full documentation of actual energy usage, and final fee payments.
Show all 9 facts
- The Department of Energy and Environment must issue a refund within 30 calendar days if a new business overestimates its usage and overpays.
- Knowingly making a false material statement on the annual energy attestation results in penalties of at least $25,000 per violation.
- A second or subsequent conviction for making a false material statement is classified as a Class D felony, while a first offense is a Class A misdemeanor.
- Fee proceeds are distributed as follows: 50% to the State Securities Department, 25% to the Office of the Attorney General, and 25% to the Department of Energy and Environment for operating and monitoring expenses.
- The Department of Energy and Environment must promulgate implementation rules, filing the final rule with the Secretary of State on or before January 1, 2027, or as soon as practicable after Legislative Council approval.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the annual fee for a digital asset mining business using over 10 megawatts of electricity in a month?
What happens to the revenue collected from these energy usage fees?
What are the penalties for knowingly submitting false energy usage documentation?
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 in committee.
Procedural history
3 actions- Apr 29, 2026HouseDied in House Committee at Sine Die adjournment.
- Apr 8, 2026HouseIntroducedRead the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and referred to the Committee on HOUSE RULES
- Apr 8, 2026HouseIntroducedFiled
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.
Multi-Agency Revenue Distribution from Mining Fees
Fee revenue collected from digital asset miners is split specifically between the State Securities Department (50%), the Office of the Attorney General (25%), and the Department of Energy and Environment (25%) to fund fraud monitoring and energy oversight.
Connected Entities
Sources
arkleg.state.ar.us
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy65Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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