US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm received another letter on February 6 regarding the environmental impact of cryptocurrency mining. Eight Democratic lawmakers led by Elizabeth Warren contacted officials on this occasion.
The eight legislators acknowledged previously responding to official correspondence asking about the agencies’ authority to collect information regarding the energy used in cryptocurrency mining. They have now followed up with a series of questions on practical issues related to the collection of information and the use of the information they receive. They wrote:
“The urgency of the climate crisis, combined with the rapid growth of cryptocurrency mining in the US, dictates a comprehensive mandatory data collection and disclosure regime. We therefore urge your agencies to work together to address the lack of information about the energy use and environmental impacts of crypto mining and require crypto miners to mandatory report this information as soon as possible.”
The authors of the letter – Senator Elizabeth Warren, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, along with Senators Sheldon Whitehouse, Edward Markey and Jeff Merkley, as well as Representatives Jared Huffman, Rashida Tlaib, Katie Porter and Richard Durbin – also asked about of the Department of Energy’s outreach for its Energy Star program and possible technical assistance from the department for communities considering hosting cryptocurrency miners. Recipients were given until March 6 to respond.
Warren is an outspoken critic of the cryptocurrency industry who has also written to US Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler about that agency’s authority to regulate cryptocurrencies and to the Comptroller of the Currency in Michael Hsu, calling on him to withdraw guidelines for banks on handling cryptocurrency and join a cross-departmental regulatory effort.
There are a lot of concerns about the energy use and pollution caused by cryptomining. @SenWarren and I urged the admin to use its authorities to make sure companies are being transparent about their emissions and exactly how much energy they use. https://t.co/1HXAjc5BgZ
— Rep. Jared Huffman (@RepHuffman) February 7, 2023
Regan has received other letters from legislators regarding cryptocurrencies. After receiving a letter critical of cryptocurrency last year signed by Huffman and 22 other legislators, including Warren, he was the recipient of a letter from 14 other congressmen expressing their support for the cryptocurrency industry.
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