Cryptominers have successfully thwarted a Department of Energy (DOE) investigation into Bitcoin's energy consumption in the United States. A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order preventing the DOE from proceeding with data collection.
Industry groups quickly challenged the move in court. The Blockchain Council of Texas and Bitcoin mining company Riot Platforms filed a lawsuit, arguing that the DOE's “emergency” investigation is illegal. “Government agencies should not be allowed to be weaponized against law-abiding companies for political reasons,” said Brian Morgenstern, head of public policy at Riot Platforms. Post to X Yesterday we celebrated a legal victory.
More Bitcoins are mined in the US than anywhere else in the world
A district judge in Texas last week not only granted a temporary restraining order (TRO), but also gave the plaintiffs a “likelihood of success” in proving that the DOE lacked sufficient reason to authorize the survey as an emergency data collection. “is high,” he wrote. request.
“Such an emergency request is appropriate only if the head of the agency determines that there is a reasonably high probability that public harm would result if normal procedures were followed,” the order states. The judge sided with the plaintiffs, who argued that complying with the investigation would harm their business. , indicating that loss or damage will result.” ”
Questions regarding the merits of the DOE's investigation will be heard in court, but the temporary restraining order halts the agency's data collection for the time being. Bitcoin mining companies were originally scheduled to respond to the investigation by February 23, the same day the temporary restraining order was issued. Going forward, DOE will no longer be able to collect data through investigations or share information it has already collected.
There is some early evidence that Bitcoin mining is already impacting the US energy system. Mines are essentially data farms that operate around the clock to verify transactions and compete for the chance to earn Bitcoin in return. According to 2022 estimates from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the industry's operations in the United States use almost as much electricity as all the nation's home computers combined. According to a 2022 study, the environmental and social damage associated with Bitcoin's energy use and greenhouse gas emissions is greater than that of beef production globally. scientific report.
