U.S. Department of Energy prepares second cryptocurrency mining survey, seeks industry input

Odaily News The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), whose first attempt to survey the energy use of cryptocurrency mining companies was stymied by a lawsuit earlier this year, is now preparing to reopen the investigation but will first seek input from cryptocurrency industry players. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), which oversees energy statistics and analysis, hosted a public webinar on Wednesday to hear from interested members of the public, including crypto miners and industry players, on how to develop such a survey ahead of a proposed rulemaking scheduled for publication in the Federal Register, with more than 100 attendees in attendance. Lee Bratcher, president and founder of the Texas Blockchain Commission, suggested that the EIA also include traditional data centers in its survey, rather than limiting the information request to just cryptocurrency-focused data centers. Jayson Browner, senior vice president of government affairs at Marathon Digital Holdings, also echoed the suggestion, saying the industry would be "skeptical" of the survey if traditional data centers were excluded from the request.