Biden administration acknowledges it can force Bitcoin mines to disclose pollution
Mining units at a Bitcoin mining facility while under construction in Fort Stockton, Texas, on Friday, April 29th, 2022. | Photo by Jordan Vonderhaar / Bloomberg via Getty Images
Federal agencies have the authority to force crypto mining companies to divulge how much energy they use and greenhouse gas emissions they create, according to letters between the agencies and Democratic lawmakers shared exclusively with The Verge.
Bitcoin miners have flocked to the US over the past couple years, triggering concerns about electricity usage and greenhouse gas emissions. Despite the proliferation of crypto mines across the US, there hasn’t been solid data on what impact they each have on the power grid and national climate goals.
That could soon change as Democratic lawmakers pressure federal agencies to speed up plans to require crypto mining companies to report their emissions and energy consumption. That kind of…
