Beginning of the year: EIA survey process
Earlier this year, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) attempted to bypass the usual survey process. It used emergency authorization statutes—special legal provisions that allow for quick decisions in urgent cases—to conduct a survey of Bitcoin mining energy use without the usual public and industry participation. But that approach ran into legal challenges from Riot Platforms and the Texas Blockchain Council, both of which filed for a temporary restraining order in Waco, Texas, to stop the survey. Ultimately, the EIA agreed to end the emergency survey and destroy the information it had already collected.
EIA’s new survey procedure
As a result, the EIA initiated a new survey process that included a public comment period. Today, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Central Time, the EIA is hosting a webinar to discuss questions about energy consumption in Bitcoin mining and related information about mining operations in the United States. Interested parties can register for the webinar and submit questions in advance. The EIA will attempt to answer those questions during the session.
