Amid the global crackdown on PoW cryptocurrency mining, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce is looking into the energy and climate impacts of four major mining companies.
As part of its oversight of the environmental and energy impact of blockchain, the agency sent letters to mining companies Core Scientific, Marathon Digital Holdings, Riot Blockchain, and Stronghold Digital Mining. The committee is asking what actions companies are taking to mitigate the environmental impact of mining, and what steps are being taken to ensure companies’ activities do not strain the power grid or undermine US climate goals.
“Blockchain has huge promise that can make our personal information more secure and the economy more efficient. However, the power consumption and hardware required to support PoW-based cryptocurrencies can, in some cases, lead to serious externalities in the form of harmful emissions and excess waste.
The letter was written by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Frank Pallone, Jr., Energy Subcommittee Chair Bobby Rush, Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Diana DeGette, and Environment Subcommittee Chair and climate change by Paul Tonko.
SatoshiActFund CEO and co-founder Dennis Porter confirmed that the mining companies have received the letters sent by the Committee. He emphasized that the department is not as concerned about the fact that enterprises from the traditional sector of the economy emit harmful substances that affect people’s health during production, as that Core Scientific can leave a carbon footprint.
Recall that in June, Republicans sent a request to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct a comprehensive analysis of a possible positive change in the impact of mining digital assets on the environment.
