US lawmakers introduce bill aimed at reporting on crypto miners' potential environmental impact

cointelegraph.com:

Three United States lawmakers have introduced legislation that would direct the Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, to report on the energy usage and environmental impact of crypto miners.

In a Dec. 8 announcement, California Representative Jared Huffman and Massachusetts Senate Ed Markey said they were “sounding the alarm” the energy use from crypto mining in the United States, claiming that Bitcoin (BTC) miners accounted for roughly 1.4% of the country’s electricity consumption. Together with Senator Jeff Merkley, the lawmakers introduced the Crypto-Asset Environmental Transparency Act, aimed at instructing the EPA to report on mining activity consuming more than 5 megawatts.

“Granting this industry impunity to inflict such environmental harm runs counter to numerous federal policies, and we need to understand the full harm this industry presents,” said Huffman. “My bill with Senator Markey will require cryptomining facilities to report their carbon dioxide emissions, as well as a detailed interagency study on crypto’s environmental impacts — finally pulling the curtain back on this industry.”

It’s time we pull back the curtain on crypto’s harmful environmental impacts. Today, @SenMarkey and I introduced a bill to get the transparency we need for oversight and accountability in this industry.https://t.co/6jzDrRyIq1

Markey and Huffman cited concerns over climate change as part of their reasons to expeditiously act in regulating the crypto industry. A draft of the bill included claims of “noise and water pollution” caused by miners.

Scott Faber, the Environmental Working Group’s senior vice president for government affairs, voiced support for the legislation, calling proof-of-work cryptocurrencies “wasteful by design”