Bitcoin miners win legal battle to keep mum about energy use
Image: Hugo Herrera / The Verge
Crypto miners have successfully blocked the Department of Energy’s (DOE) survey of Bitcoin’s energy consumption in the US. A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order that prevents the DOE from moving forward with data collection.
More Bitcoin is mined in the US than anywhere else in the world, a trend that has sparked legal battles over the impact energy-hungry crypto mines have on the power grid, nearby communities, and the environment. The DOE announced last month that it would start to collect data on the electricity consumption of crypto mines, mandating that companies comply with the “emergency collection of data request.”
Industry groups were quick to challenge the move in court. The Texas Blockchain Council and...