Crypto Energy Use and Emissions Tracking Soon? Regulators Want to Focus on Consumption

Cryptocurrency's energy use is through the roof, and that is one of the reasons why it is frowned upon by many, as its trading and mining use a massive amount of energy for its access. Now, federal regulators are taking actions to address it and want to monitor the crypto mining process and check its usage, as well as emissions that may harm the environment.

Cryptocurrency Energy Use: Emissions Tracking for Federal Regulation?

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Bitcoin mining machines in a warehouse at the Whinstone US Bitcoin mining facility in Rockdale, Texas, on October 10, 2021. - The long sheds at North America's largest bitcoin mine look endless in the Texas sun, packed with the type of machines that have helped the US to become the new global hub for the digital currency. The operation in the quiet town of Rockdale was part of an already bustling US business -- now boosted by Beijing's intensified crypto crackdown that has pushed the industry west. Experts say rule of law and cheap electricity in the US are a draw for bitcoin miners, whose energy-gulping computers race to unlock units of the currency. "There's a lot of competitors coming into Texas because they are seeing the same thing (as) when we came here," said Chad Everett Harris, CEO of miner Whinstone, which operates the Rockdale site owned by US company Riot Blockchain. Photo by MARK FELIX/AFP /AFP via Getty Images

Senator Elizabeth Warren and other lawmakers under this venture drafted a letter to the United States Department of Energy, and its secretary, Jennifer Granholm, said that crypto mining fams should be in check. Here, Senator Warren said that these farms should submit their power consumption levels and disclose their emissions to regulators.

Currently, there is a growing industry in the United States crypto mining business, and there are many that have gone into the business to mine the digital assets for its acquisition. However, while the industry is booming, there are significant effects that it brings to the community and the environment that may soon affect life as we know it.

Cryptocurrency Mining May Use a Grid's Massive Allocation

According to Engadget, the group's investigation that started last year now resulted in their findings, and it talks about a collective use of 1 gigawatt of electricity from the grid. The consumption of these farms can power the city of Houston in Texas, particularly all the residential structures in the area.

Cryptocurrency Mining and Energy Use

Several countries and known entities have limited or banned cryptocurrency mining worldwide, and it aims to prevent these miners from using up energy on the electrical grid meant for the residential and commercial areas. One of the infamous cons of cryptocurrency is its mining, and countries like China have cracked down on miners that take up significant energy in the present.

In the United States, a credit rating agency called "Fitch" claimed that cryptocurrency mining, in general, threatens the country's national electrical grids and may damage it in the long run. Moreover, it takes power more than other entities, with its significant environmental effects another topic regarding the problems that come with it.

Now, a new study and push to track cryptocurrency mining regarding its energy use and emissions is something the country's regulators are looking into to preserve the current grids. Additionally, it doubles as a way to protect the environment as there are beliefs that crypto mining is also out to damage the ecosystem.

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Written by Isaiah Richard

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