Local Governments Change Tune on Crypto Mines
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** CfA's March 29, 2024 Newsletter
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With your support, Campaign for Accountability is working to expose corruption and hold the powerful accountable.
** This Week's Updates:
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Crypto Mining Facilities Get Cold Shoulder in Texas
Earlier this month, commissioners in Navaro County, Texas rejected ([link removed]) a proposed tax break for a 256-acre crypto mining facility, responding to an outcry from residents who were concerned about noise and environmental impacts. While construction may still proceed, the denial of the tax abatement is a sign that attitudes towards crypto are changing in Texas. Three years ago, crypto mining projects were easily landing ([link removed]) tax breaks and other incentives from the state with the understanding that they would create jobs and contribute to local economies. While contractors were hired to build crypto mines, the industry only employs 2,000 Texans on a permanent basis, according to an estimate
([link removed]) provided by the President of the Texas Blockchain Chamber. It is unclear how many of those positions are full time. Given these meager gains, it’s becoming difficult for crypto proponents to justify public investment, especially when the industry is already profiting from grid instability by selling energy back ([link removed]) in times of high demand. TTP released a report ([link removed]) on this controversial arrangement in July 2022, after Winter Storm Uri caused deadly power outages that triggered a $126 million windfall for crypto companies.
How Meta Amplifies Extreme Anti-Trans Hate
On Wednesday, the LGBTQ advocacy organization GLAAD released a report ([link removed]) outlining Meta’s failure to address anti-trans hate on its platforms, even as hate crimes ([link removed]) against the community skyrocket. According to GLAAD’s research, Meta has neglected to enforce policies concerning everything from anti-trans slurs to dehumanizing tropes and conspiracy theories. One of the more serious harms described in the report is “networked mass harassment,” a similar concept to Dr. Joan Donovan’s model of “networked incitement ([link removed]) .” Using careful innuendo, anti-LGBTQ accounts post identifying information about transgender individuals or their allies,
knowing that their posts will trigger online abuse and threats. The strategy is most famously used by “LibsOfTikTok,” which emerged in 2021 as a multi-platform vector for anti-LGBTQ hate speech. At least 42 instances of threats and harassment ([link removed]) have been linked to the account, including multiple bomb threats that led to closures at schools, hospitals, and libraries. Meta has allowed LibsOfTikTok to accumulate almost half a million followers on Instagram, despite the account’s clear attempts to coordinate harassment against LGBTQ individuals.
DC Attorney General Attacked by Allies of Leonard Leo
In April of 2023, CfA urged ([link removed]) the IRS and the DC Attorney General’s Office to investigate multiple nonprofits linked to Leonard Leo, a conservative powerbroker who has been credited ([link removed]) with shaping former President Trump’s Supreme Court. Research compiled by CfA suggests that Leo’s personal spending sharply increased after these tax-exempt organizations began making payments to his for-profit businesses, which could be a violation of IRS rules. DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb opened an investigation several months after CfA presented its evidence, and Leo quickly announced ([link removed]) that he would not be cooperating. Now, Politico’s Heidi Pryzbyla has released an article
([link removed]) detailing the ways Schwalb has been attacked by lawmakers and fellow attorneys general for launching this inquiry into Leo’s nonprofits, all of which were operating in DC at the time of CfA’s complaint. As CfA Executive Director Michelle Kuppersmith noted ([link removed]) , an investigation resulting in penalties could discourage this behavior from other nonprofits, and prevent them from improperly channeling funds to their executives.
What We're Reading
How retailers are profiting from inflation question gains new urgency from FTC report ([link removed])
Justices were skeptical of abortion pills arguments. Anti-abortion groups have backup plans ([link removed])
Texas Rep. Troy Nehls target of investigation by House ethics committee ([link removed])
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Here is how you can stay involved and help us accomplish our mission:
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Be on the lookout for more updates about our work in the upcoming weeks. Thanks again for signing up to be a part of CfA!
Sincerely,
Michelle Kuppersmith
Executive Director, Campaign for Accountability
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