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Bitcoin Miners Win Legal Battle: Energy Consumption Survey Paused

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Following substantial opposition, the United States has paused its endeavor to collect energy consumption data from Bitcoin miners.

The Energy Information Administration (EIA), a US Department of Energy division, announced plans to gather information on crypto miners’ energy usage last month.

Bitcoin Mining Survey Suspended

EIA’s move was met with immediate backlash from the mining community and various US legislators who deemed it intrusive. Consequently, Riot Platforms, a prominent Bitcoin mining firm, and the Texas Blockchain Council initiated legal action against the authorities, arguing that the survey was unlawful and politically driven.

A court order from February 23, shared by Pierre Rochard, Riot’s VP of Research, revealed that the court ruled in favor of the Bitcoin miners. It found the Energy Department’s justification lacking and criticized the action as arbitrary, capricious, and an abuse of discretion.

As a result, the court issued a temporary restraining order, halting the survey and mandating the EIA to isolate the data it had already collected from Bitcoin miners. Additionally, the EIA confirmed it would suspend its mandatory survey and sequester the gathered data for a month.

“EIA will not enforce any requirement to file Form EIA-862 nor seek or impose any fines, penalties, or other adverse consequences based on a failure to respond to the survey through March 22, 2024,” EIA stated.

The recent judgment has been lauded by many in the crypto community. Environmentalist and venture investor Daniel Batten emphasized the importance of fair treatment for all energy consumers. Batten further criticized the discriminatory nature of harsh penalties for Bitcoin data centers compared to a lenient approach toward AI data centers’ energy usage.

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Author: Oluwapelumi Adejumo

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