7 months ago
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) paused the arguable survey of crypto mining firms connected Feb. 23 pursuing a suit from members of the crypto mining sector.
Crypto mining institution Riot Platforms and the Texas Blockchain Council launched the suit connected Feb. 22. The lawsuit names the EIA, the Department of Energy, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the heads of those agencies arsenic defendants.
The EIA confirmed that the survey has been paused successful a statement:
“EIA volition not enforce immoderate request to record Form EIA-862 nor question oregon enforce immoderate fines, penalties, oregon different adverse consequences based connected a nonaccomplishment to respond to the survey done March 22, 2024.”
The bureau volition besides sequester immoderate information that it has collected and volition refrain from utilizing it until the aforesaid data, according to the existent notice.
An entry successful the lawsuit docket likewise confirms the survey pause, noting that the EIA volition “take the survey down [and] determination volition beryllium a announcement stating determination are [four] much weeks reprieve.”
Data postulation concerns
Republican Congressman Tom Emmer precocious raised concerns implicit the postulation of information from crypto mining firms successful a missive connected Feb. 22.
He argued that the OMB could lone assistance the EIA’s accusation postulation petition without a remark play by demonstrating that mining is apt to origin nationalist harm. He added:
“Bitcoin mining is not a menace to nationalist safety. Period.”
Riot and the Texas Blockchain Council’s suit relies connected a akin argument, arsenic 1 conception of their ailment states that the exigency support and expected nationalist harm are “facially absurd.”
The survey has been intimately linked with the Biden medication and the Democratic party. One conception of the suit explicitly acknowledges this, noting that a September 2022 connection from the Biden Whitehouse specifically suggested targeting mining firms with vigor regulation actions and laws.
The EIA, for its part, is acrophobic that Bitcoin mining could pb to accrued vigor depletion during precocious vigor request periods, including during acold weather.
The bureau primitively aimed to cod information from 82 crypto-mining firms, and companies that did not comply could person faced $10,000 successful regular fines until the survey play ended successful July.
The station US agencies intermission Biden-sanctioned exigency miner survey pursuing lawsuit appeared archetypal connected CryptoSlate.
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