Cryptocurrency miners are gaining a new voice in American politics with the creation of the Digital Energy Council to lobby for friendly policies as regulators and Congress debate the next steps in cryptocurrency regulation.

The Council’s group of members will advocate for policies that promote responsible and sustainable energy development, improve energy grid resilience, maintain U.S. competitiveness, and protect national security

Miners are already in a tough spot with President Joe Biden’s White House, which is calling for a punitive 30% excise tax on mining for “the harm they do to society.” Miners have also been under constant criticism from Democratic lawmakers who believe the companies threaten the environment.

Missing from policy discussions has been a focus on how the digital asset extraction and energy industries can collaborate and work together to strengthen energy infrastructure, increase resilience, and support energy sustainability and efficiency.

It is important that the energy and digital asset mining communities, which are key players in the nation’s energy system, have a real voice at the federal level.

The main goal is to “emphasize that digital asset mining is a real tool that can be used to achieve the energy goals of the United States.”

“The Digital Energy Council is the only group in Washington that is focused on the intersection of mining and energy abundance,” said Zach Bradford, CEO of one of the DEC’s member companies, CleanSpark (CLSK), a firm that has steadily expanded during the crypto winter.