A Texas Bitcoin miner, alongside the Texas Blockchain Council, has initiated legal action against federal authorities following the issuance of a mandatory energy survey by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), with the miner stating, "We don’t want politics infecting data." The survey, aimed at assessing the electricity consumption of the crypto-mining industry, has been met with resistance, leading to a Texas judge halting the federal survey. This legal challenge comes amid soaring cryptocurrency prices and a significant increase in Bitcoin mining activities, which have raised concerns about their impact on energy grids and prices, highlighted by the operation of 80,000 noisy machines in Texas. The Sierra Club has expressed support for the federal survey, emphasizing the urgent need for accurate data on the energy use of crypto mining firms. However, U.S. officials have indefinitely withdrawn the survey, setting back efforts to understand the sector's energy consumption during a period of record activity.
🚩 Riot Platforms, among the biggest U.S. bitcoin miners, and industry group Texas Blockchain Council, sued to stop mandatory data requests after a new survey went out this month by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) to assess crypto-mining's electricity use. https://t.co/E6wi9brvx6
Crypto miner lawsuit sets back US effort to track booming power use https://t.co/hTrt3iyzAB https://t.co/Xca8oeB94e
Sierra Club says accurate insight into crypto mining firms' energy use is 'urgently needed' in support of federal survey https://t.co/hVBTFG9nkO
US officials this week indefinitely withdrew a survey aimed at gathering information on the crypto-mining industry's power use, hindering attempts to understand the sector's impact on grids and energy prices at a time of record activity https://t.co/2fZxyQndDT https://t.co/TQ0QpRiN7L
Soaring crypto prices mask a downside: More Bitcoin mining. Angry Texans fight Bitcoin mine’s 80,000 noisy machines in test for industry https://t.co/nxH5gIZN9g
Texas judge turns out the lights on Federal survey of cryptominers' energy consumption https://t.co/YwoJCnMkgz
Texas Bitcoin miner sues feds over energy survey: "We don’t want politics infecting data." https://t.co/OFL4xyAoMl