After the U.S. Department of Energy’s first attempt to survey crypto mining companies about their energy usage was kneecapped by a lawsuit, the department is getting ready to try again – but this time, it’s seeking input from crypto industry participants first.
Bitcoin researcher Margot Paez, a PhD candidate at the Georgia Institute of Technology and sustainability consultant at the Bitcoin Policy Institute, agreed that a survey needed to be conducted, but said the industry was “wary” of the EIA’s motives and suggested that an outside institution be selected to run the survey.
“At this point we’re considering everything,” said Stephen Harvey, an official with the EIA, adding that including traditional data centers in the survey was “clearly on the table.”