US lawmakers introduce bill aimed at reporting on crypto miners' potential environmental impact

1 year ago

The Crypto-Asset Environmental Transparency Act would instruct the Environmental Protection Agency to study connected crypto mining enactment consuming much than 5 megawatts.

US lawmakers present  measure  aimed astatine  reporting connected  crypto miners' imaginable   biology  impact

Own this portion of crypto past

Collect this nonfiction arsenic NFT

Three United States lawmakers person introduced authorities that would nonstop the Environmental Protection Agency, oregon EPA, to study connected the vigor usage and biology interaction of crypto miners.

In a Dec. 8 announcement, California Representative Jared Huffman and Massachusetts Senate Ed Markey said they were “sounding the alarm” the vigor usage from crypto mining successful the United States, claiming that Bitcoin (BTC) miners accounted for astir 1.4% of the country’s energy consumption. Together with Senator Jeff Merkley, the lawmakers introduced the Crypto-Asset Environmental Transparency Act, aimed astatine instructing the EPA to study connected mining enactment consuming much than 5 megawatts.

“Granting this manufacture impunity to inflict specified biology harm runs antagonistic to galore national policies, and we request to recognize the afloat harm this manufacture presents,” said Huffman. “My measure with Senator Markey volition necessitate cryptomining facilities to study their c dioxide emissions, arsenic good arsenic a elaborate interagency survey connected crypto’s biology impacts — yet pulling the curtain backmost connected this industry.”

It’s clip we propulsion backmost the curtain connected crypto’s harmful biology impacts.

Today, @SenMarkey and I introduced a measure to get the transparency we request for oversight and accountability successful this industry.https://t.co/6jzDrRyIq1

— Rep. Jared Huffman (@RepHuffman) December 8, 2022

Markey and Huffman cited concerns implicit clime alteration arsenic portion of their reasons to expeditiously enactment successful regulating the crypto industry. A draught of the measure included claims of “noise and h2o pollution” caused by miners.

Scott Faber, the Environmental Working Group’s elder vice president for authorities affairs, voiced enactment for the legislation, calling proof-of-work cryptocurrencies “wasteful by design” and claiming BTC and different tokens would incentivize miners to usage much electricity:

“The precocious completed ethereum merge and past codification changes amusement that translation by the bitcoin assemblage is imaginable — the mode we’ve each adapted to caller ways of powering our homes and cars and however we turn our nutrient [...] Every industry, including the fiscal sector, tin trim its energy usage and greenhouse state emissions. Adding much energy request – arsenic impervious of enactment mining volition yet necessitate – sends america successful the incorrect direction.”

Related: BTC vigor usage jumps 41% successful 12 months, expanding regulatory risks

Despite the Ethereum blockchain transitioning from proof-of-work to the little vigor intensive proof-of-stake successful 2022, galore U.S. lawmakers person continued to people cryptocurrencies for energy consumption. In October, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren joined six different members of Congress successful requesting accusation from the caput of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas connected the vigor usage and imaginable biology interaction of crypto miners.

View source