Bitcoin Miners Forced to Report Energy Use in Proposed Bill (1)
Engineers on a cherry picker adjust mining rigs at a cryptocurrency mining farm.
Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/BloombergUS crypto miners would be forced to disclose greenhouse gas emissions under a new bill, adding pressure to a fast-growing industry criticized for its heavy toll on the environment and power grid.
The legislation, introduced by Democratic Senator Edward Markey, would require crypto miners using more than 5 megawatts of electricity — a threshold that most Bitcoin mining companies would pass — to report emissions and the source of power, according to a copy of the bill shared with Bloomberg News. The US Environmental Protection Agency would conduct a study on the impact of existing and planned digital mining operations — including the level of stress on the energy grid and fossil fuel usage — and offer any measures state regulators can take to reduce their energy demand.