Congressional legislators USA asked the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy to monitor mining activities cryptocurrencies and require these companies to disclose the amount of energy they use and the pollution they emit.
The letter was signed by Elizabeth Warren of the Democratic Bloc along with five additional lawmakers.
Mining and pollution
According to one study, the seven largest mining companies in USA they can use up to 1 gigawatt of electricity, enough to power the entire city of Houston.
Given this, lawmakers are concerned about how this energy also pollutes the environment. The investigation indicates that the three largest companies extracting from cryptocurrencies they emit 1.6 million tons of CO2 annually, equivalent to 360,000 cars.
“Bitcoin miners use massive amounts of electricity that could be used for other priority purposes that contribute to our climate and electrification goals, such as replacing home furnaces with heat pumps,” the summary reads.
look for the information
If this happens, the country’s regulators will have to find and track down large mining companies. cryptocurrencies publish valuable information in this regard, in addition to fulfilling certain rules in favor of the environment and surrounding communities (energy used on farms cryptocurrencies may leave nearby cities without supplies).
“The results of our study, which collected data from just seven companies, are alarming because only this limited data shows that crypto miners are large consumers of energy, which account for a significant — and rapidly growing — carbon footprint,” the letter says. .
If you are interested, mining cryptocurrency it is a process that involves high-performance computers solving very complex computational tasks to verify transactions in technological networks for virtual currencies (blockchain). The node (computer or matrix) that manages to solve the puzzle is rewarded with new cryptocurrencies, as if a miner had found a gold nugget.
Agencies have until August 15 to respond to the request.
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Source: RPP
I’m Liza Grey, an experienced news writer and author at the Buna Times. I specialize in writing about economic issues, with a focus on uncovering stories that have a positive impact on society. With over seven years of experience in the news industry, I am highly knowledgeable about current events and the ways in which they affect our daily lives.