The Texas Blockchain Commission (TBC) and mining company Riot Platforms have filed a lawsuit against the Energy Information Administration for trying to collect energy usage information from crypto miners.
In a February 22 filing in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, TBC and Riot claimed that the U.S. Department of Energy, the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and their leadership sought to Currency miners’ intrusive” data collection. The lawsuit was filed before a Feb. 23 deadline and threatens fines and penalties in response to an EIA investigation into the mining company's electricity usage.
The TBC claims the collection of information is politically motivated, arguing that requiring mining companies to provide potential contract information to the U.S. government and make it public would represent an overreach of authority. The group called on Sen. Elizabeth Warren and the White House to orchestrate action on the environmental impact assessment and asked the court to grant a temporary restraining order to halt data collection.
“This legal challenge is not a defense against an isolated request for proprietary information,” said Lee Bratcher, chairman of the Texas Blockchain Commission. “It is a defense against a broader pattern of regulatory overreach that threatens to the fundamental fabric of innovation and economic growth. If the government can do that to one industry, it sets a precedent for all other industries that are not favored by the government in power.”
The Energy Department called the mandatory collection of crypto miner data an "urgent" request as part of an effort to create a "baseline snapshot" of miners' energy consumption across the country. Opponents of the DOE action question the urgency of the data collection, claiming policymakers could use the information to launch politically motivated attacks on Bitcoin and the crypto industry. Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer, one of many supporters of cryptocurrency legislation in the U.S. Congress, sent a letter to OMB Director Shalanda Young on February 20 questioning the motives behind the EIA investigation. The congressman said the Biden administration is trying to enact policies related to combating climate change at the expense of cryptocurrency miners.
A hearing will be held in Texas on February 23 at 5:30 pm UTC to resolve the lawsuit before the EIA deadline, TBC reported. Cointelegraph reached out to Senator Warren’s office for comment but had not received a response as of press time.
