Digital Power Network Urges New York Lawmakers to Protect Ratepayers by Embracing Energy Innovation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Albany, NY — At a hearing of the New York State Assembly Committee on Energy titled “Protecting Residential Ratepayers from Increased Energy Costs,” Hailey Miller, Director of Government Relations & Public Policy for the Digital Power Network (DPN), urged lawmakers to reject fear-based narratives about large-load energy users and instead adopt forward-looking policies that harness innovation to lower costs and strengthen the grid.
Watch Hailey Miller’s full testimony → View Video.
Read the full written testimony → View PDF.
Representing the largest coalition of Bitcoin miners and digital infrastructure developers in the United States, accounting for over 85% of the hash rate of publicly traded U.S. miners, Miller emphasized that rising electricity demand does not have to mean rising consumer costs.
“When properly integrated, flexible digital infrastructure can reduce system costs, strengthen reliability, and expand investment, not burden households,” Miller testified. “Demand growth isn’t the threat; poor policy design is.”
Miller highlighted that Bitcoin mining’s unique flexibility allows facilities to power down nearly all consumption within minutes, providing instant grid relief during peak events and helping stabilize wholesale energy markets. “That flexibility is a financial shield for ratepayers,” she said. “When the grid is stressed, miners take their foot off the gas so everyone else can keep moving.”
Across multiple U.S. markets, including New York, digital infrastructure projects have already demonstrated the ability to curtail thousands of megawatts of demand during extreme weather, preventing blackouts and reducing price spikes. Miller urged the state to modernize NYISO’s demand-response programs to fully capture these benefits.
“New York can turn what critics see as load into what engineers recognize as fast-acting reliability resources, assets that stabilize prices, strengthen the grid, and protect consumers,” Miller said.
Beyond reliability, Miller noted that Bitcoin mining and data center projects are revitalizing local economies by repurposing deindustrialized facilities, rebuilding substations, and attracting private investment into rural and upstate communities. “Each new project expands the base over which fixed costs are spread,” she explained. “That means lower per-customer transmission and distribution costs for everyone.”
In her testimony, Miller outlined three key principles for protecting ratepayers while embracing innovation:
Reaffirm Cost-Causation Fairness – Uphold New York’s existing cost-of-service model, ensuring large users fund their own interconnections and grid upgrades rather than creating discriminatory rate classes.
Integrate Flexible Loads into Demand-Response Markets – Recognize interruptible computing loads as reliability assets that can reduce system stress and lower costs.
Leverage Private Capital for Public Benefit – Encourage partnerships that channel private investment into renewable generation and transmission without taxpayer burden.
“Electricity demand is rising, and it should,” Miller concluded. “Growth means investment, innovation, and jobs. The question isn’t whether New York can afford to integrate large energy users, it’s whether it can afford not to.”
The Digital Power Network reaffirmed its readiness to work with the Assembly Energy Committee, Public Service Commission, and NYISO to design technology-neutral, evidence-based policies that keep New York competitive, reliable, and affordable.
About the Digital Power Network (DPN):
The Digital Power Network (DPN) is the largest coalition of Bitcoin miners and digital infrastructure leaders in the United States, representing over 85% of the Bitcoin hash rate among publicly traded U.S. mining companies. DPN advocates for policies that promote energy innovation, grid resilience, economic development, and the strategic role of digital assets in the 21st-century economy.