While some regulatory agencies and governments are looking to crack down on the cryptocurrency industry, Wyoming is trying to attract it.
State Rep. Tyler Lindholm, a Republican representing the state’s first district, told Cheddar that the state has more than enough energy to support crypto mining.
“We actually only use about 10 percent of the power that we have,” he said during the Thursday interview. “Our wholesale [price for] kilowatt hours is one of the cheapest in the nation. On top of that, It’s diversified. We’ve got wind, we’ve got solar, we’ve got coal, we’ve got gas, and we’ve also got hydro.”
State legislators from both sides of the aisle have put five cryptocurrency-related bills in the pipeline. House Bill 70 is currently awaiting Republican Governor Matt Mead’s signature. If passed into law, it would exempt some crypto assets from securities laws.
State Senator Tara Nethercott (R-District 4) told Cheddar during the interview that Wyoming looks forward to building a partnership with the crypto space.
“I think Wyoming is uniquely situated with the appropriate infrastructure, with the appropriate regulatory environment, the appropriate culture and excitement to be a strong partnership with this particular industry,” she said. “So I have great hope for its future in Wyoming.”
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/how-wyoming-is-luring-blockchain-businesses).
Parallel Systems has been selected to receive $4.5 million from the Department of Energy for an advanced testing program of its autonomous, battery-electric rail vehicles. The startup, which has raised more than $53 million to date, was founded by former SpaceX engineers to reimagine the rail system by creating a more efficient, decarbonized freight network. Matt Soule, Co-founder & CEO of Parallel Systems, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss what the company hopes to achieve.
A bipartisan bill introduced by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) aims to tackle the spread of misinformation on social media platforms, as well as the addictive nature of the sites and negative mental health impacts they have on users. The 'Nudge Act' would require studies to find and compile potential interventions that platforms could use to encourage people to think before they share a post, or log off after spending too much time on an app. The FTC would create rules based on these findings, and hold the platforms accountable. But will it work? Jesse Lehrich, co-founder of Accountable Tech, joins Closing Bell to discuss the bill, whether real results and regulations could come from it, and more.
A.I.-based entertainment company, Deedub, recently raised
$20 million in a Series A round, led by Insight Partners. Deepdub uses A.I. technology to automate the dubbing process for foreign-language movies or TV shows, while using actors' original voices. The company says it can take just two to three minutes of data from an actor's voice and transform the voice into a different language. The funding comes as foreign-language films and shows like Netflix's 'Squid Game' have recently become more popular with audiences in the U.S. and around the world. Oz Krakowski, Chief Revenue Officer at Deepdub, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
