The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is closely examining bitcoin (BTC) mining. Should this be a cause for concern?

Specifically, the Energy Information Administration (EIA), a statistical agency under the DOE, will be conducting a survey of the electricity usage of selected U.S.-based miners over the next six months, starting next week, following the issuance of an "emergency collection of data request."

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Considering the use of the term "emergency" in the request and the current administration's critical view of cryptocurrency, there are concerns that the data collected could be used to develop potentially detrimental policies for the mining industry. In its public filing, the EIA mentions the potential for "public harm" from crypto mining as the reason for collecting this data.

"EIA is a policy-neutral agency that does not create, implement, enforce, or comment on policy," stated EIA spokesperson Morgan Butterfield in an email response to CoinDesk. "The results from the data we collect will help guide our future course of action over the next six months, leading to a regular three-year review."#mining #MiningCompanies #Write2Earn #BTC #TradeNTell