Government's About-Face: Bitcoin Miners Dodge Emergency Survey After Legal Showdown

The Department of Energy's abrupt decision to halt its emergency survey of Bitcoin miners, following legal challenges from Riot Blockchain and the Texas Blockchain Council, marks a significant turn in the government's approach to regulating cryptocurrency mining. The lawsuit, which secured a 14-day delay on a deadline for miners to submit power usage data, highlighted concerns about the potential public harm caused by fast-tracking the survey process without adequate consideration of federal law requirements. In response, the DOE and the Energy Information Administration have settled the lawsuit, agreeing to withdraw the survey entirely and destroy all data collected so far. Instead, they plan to pursue a nonemergency survey allowing for a 60-day public comment period, a move that could delay the process by a year or longer, according to legal experts.