New York just became the first state to ban certain types of cryptocurrency mining in an effort to address environmental worries over the energy-intensive process. "I will ensure that New York continues to be the center of financial innovation, while also taking important steps to prioritize the protection of our environment," New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a message after signing the legislation into law on Nov. 22. The new law temporarily freezes the issuance and renewal of air permits to companies that have transformed some of the state's oldest fossil fuel plants into cryptocurrency mining hubs. But the…