US Judge Halts Government Effort To Monitor Crypto Mining Energy Use (theguardian.com) 90
A federal judge in Texas has granted a temporary order blocking the U.S. government from monitoring the energy usage of cryptocurrency mining operations, stating that the industry had shown it would suffer "irreparable injury" if it was made to comply. The Guardian reports: The US Department of Energy had launched an "eemergency" initiative last month aimed at surveying the energy use of mining operations, which typically use vast amounts of computing power to solve various mathematical puzzles to add new tokens to an online network known as a blockchain, allowing the mining of currency such as bitcoin. The growth of cryptocurrency, and the associated mining of it, has been blamed for a surge in electricity use as data centers have sprung up across the US, even reviving, in some cases, ailing coal plants to help power the mining. [...]
"The massive energy consumption of cryptocurrency mining and its rapid growth in the United States threaten to undermine progress towards achieving climate goals, and threaten grids, communities and ratepayers," said Mandy DeRoche, deputy managing attorney of the clean energy program at Earthjustice. Until now, a lack of publicly available information has only benefited an "industry that has thrived in the shadows," DeRoche added.
The crypto mining industry, however, has claimed it is the victim of a "politically motivated campaign" by Joe Biden's administration and has, for now, succeeded in averting a survey that it contends is unfairly onerous. "This is an attack against legitimate American businesses with the administration feigning an emergency to score political points," said Lee Bratcher, president the Texas Blockchain Council, one of the groups that sued to stop the survey. "The White House has been clear that they desire to 'to limit or eliminate' bitcoin miners from operating in the United States. "Although bitcoin is resilient and cannot be banned, the administration is seeking to make the lives of bitcoin miners, their employees, and their communities too difficult to bear operating in the United States. This is deeply concerning."
"The massive energy consumption of cryptocurrency mining and its rapid growth in the United States threaten to undermine progress towards achieving climate goals, and threaten grids, communities and ratepayers," said Mandy DeRoche, deputy managing attorney of the clean energy program at Earthjustice. Until now, a lack of publicly available information has only benefited an "industry that has thrived in the shadows," DeRoche added.
The crypto mining industry, however, has claimed it is the victim of a "politically motivated campaign" by Joe Biden's administration and has, for now, succeeded in averting a survey that it contends is unfairly onerous. "This is an attack against legitimate American businesses with the administration feigning an emergency to score political points," said Lee Bratcher, president the Texas Blockchain Council, one of the groups that sued to stop the survey. "The White House has been clear that they desire to 'to limit or eliminate' bitcoin miners from operating in the United States. "Although bitcoin is resilient and cannot be banned, the administration is seeking to make the lives of bitcoin miners, their employees, and their communities too difficult to bear operating in the United States. This is deeply concerning."
Re:No real surprise here (Score:5, Interesting)
"When you are in control of the executive branch but not Congress, this stuff happens."
What stuff? A judge granting a "temporary order"?
"This is why there is a judiciary, to compel the use of the traditional means to define law."
Define what law? What law is being defined here, and how is a judge issuing an order a "traditional means"?
"They tried, i'm not shocked they did and it is no different than a thousand other overreaches by the executive branch."
They tried what? They tried "surveying the energy use of mining operations"? Quite an overreach!
"the industry had shown it would suffer "irreparable injury" if it was made to comply."
I bet it did! What "industry". what "injury"? Comply with what? Providing information on energy use? The horror!
Re:No real surprise here (Score:5, Informative)
If there is no law mandating that industry supply this information, this is overreach. If there was, this would have turned the other way. It's not a dictatorship yet.
The job of the Department of Energy [energy.gov] is "to ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions." Trying to find out how much energy crypto mining is wasting falls under addressing energy challenges. If more miners waste energy, how will that affect the general public as well as industry? How will that affect America's prosperity if the energy miners use is poured down the drain rather than used for something useful such as cooling in the summer and heating in the winter? The only way to know is to get that information from the miners.
Gathering information doesn't require a law. In fact, within the DOE there is the Office of Electricy [energy.gov] which produces reports available to the public [energy.gov]. How do you think they get the informaiton to create those reports?
Re: (Score:1)
General Welfare clause.
Re: (Score:2)
Hmm....I do not think that means what you think it means....
Re: (Score:3)
Sovereign citizen writing detected.
Re: (Score:2)
If authorized by congress then it's legal.
Re: (Score:1)
The job of the Department of Energy [energy.gov] is "to ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions."
Or at least that is what the about us blurb on their website says.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: No real surprise here (Score:2)
Executive actions tend to become more common when Congress gives up on its duties.
Re: (Score:2)
Executive actions tend to become more common when Congress gives up on its duties.
At this point, we need some form of oversight for congress beyond the "judges have to pimp-slap executive orders, which wouldn't be issued if congress would do literally anything." Perhaps, if they fail to enact a single piece of legislation during any given period, or fail to conduct any form of business beyond bickering like school children fighting over the last cookie, they get pay-docked. I mean, I know the pay they get for their supposed jobs that they never do doesn't mean all that much to them. The
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
It may be an attempt to gather information that might, at some time in the future, be used to justify regulating the crypto-mining industry.
However, it is also not "emergency", and should be published in the Federal Registry before being implemented, so the judge (IMO) is correct in the stay.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Now slashdot loves crypto. Make up your minds.
If you mean the users, there's always been a significant pro-cryptocurrency faction here.
If you mean the site, the owner (B!zX) is a cryptocurrency vendor and services provider.
I have observed a significant downturn in support for cryptocurrency on slashdot, though, so I presume that their shoving these stories down our throats has resulted in most people realizing that it's all a lot of destructive bullshit. They should formulate an exit plan if they don't have one already, because this shows that the more
Re: (Score:2)
I do not love crapto. I think it is a blatant pyramid-type scam that, in addition, does massive environmental harm and facilitates massively damaging crime ($1B ransomware payments in 2023 alone).
Re: (Score:3)
Before you attack the idea that this is a state and non federal issue. The grid is interconnected through multiple states and does impact other par
Re: (Score:2)
Bitcoin is generally wasteful, but miners can be turned on/off at will, so it provides a way to 'burn off' excess energy from renewable sources during low demand, while keeping it available for peak demand times.
The environmental impact of bitcoin is tied to the sources of energy on the grid, and can provide funding for solar/wind generation.
Don't try to ban Bitcoin to stop coal/oil from being burned, just directly ban burning coal/oil.
Re: (Score:3)
I don't think there is generally that much "excess energy" as there is energy PRICED OUTSIDE THE RANGE PEOPLE WOULD USE IT. Get that energy to people or even industry to use it for 1/10 or 1/100 or whatever (there's no lower limit if it really is "excess" that nobody would use it except to compete i
Re: (Score:3)
Bitcoin is generally wasteful, but miners can be turned on/off at will, so it provides a way to 'burn off' excess energy from renewable sources during low demand, while keeping it available for peak demand times.
The environmental impact of bitcoin is tied to the sources of energy on the grid, and can provide funding for solar/wind generation.
As long as we are generating ANY electrical power from fossil fuels, there is no such thing as "excess energy". We should be storing that surplus to decrease fossil fuel use in times of greater demand. Using it to provide 'proof of work' for a spurious currency is stupid and self-defeating. And no, using the waste heat generated by crypto mining for some other purpose doesn't adequately address the problem.
Re: (Score:2)
"we"
Re: (Score:2)
The grid is interconnected through multiple states and does impact other parts of the country that Texas does not unilaterally have the right to make decisions for.
In fact, the Texas grid is only weakly connected to the larger electricity network (i.e. there are some connection points, but no systematic power exchange). This act of desperate stupidity speaks volumes about the quality of the physics education in the state...
Re: No real surprise here (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
The Texas grid is larger than most countries, especially in terms of GW capacity. It's 40% larger than the UK grid (which has double the population). It is plenty big enough to stand on its own.
Reality seems to disagree... [wikipedia.org].
Re: (Score:2)
Texas has twice seceded violently from it's federal government. Both times for the same immoral reasons (slavery). This time, rather than violence I'm all in favor of Texas putting a wall around itself and cutting itself off completely from water, electricity, roads, commerce, hang gliders, and dangerous outside thoughts like science.
Re: (Score:2)
Noteworthy items:
The great power outage of Texas happened in February of 2021 where temperatures in the State became far colder ( for far longer ) than what is the norm.
As such, the Senator you speak of would not have been heading to Cancun to stay " cool " but, rather, quite the opposite.
Having lived in Texas for 45+ years, I can tell you that, despite the media's sincerest attempts to depict the Texas electrical grid to be " fragile " and " on it's last legs ", you should know those statements are actuall
Re: (Score:2)
Yep, laundering about $1B per year in ransomware payments is clearly "nothing illegal".
MUH FREEDUMBS!!!!1 (Score:3, Funny)
The guvvermint shoundn't be spying on all these crepto farms that are operaeting in the free market!
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Re: MUH FREEDUMBS!!!!1 (Score:5, Insightful)
First, learn to speak the God Damned language.
"What are they doing illegally?"
Being asked for information isn't an admission of guilt. I think the gubmint is of the opinion that public water access and hospital power is more important than crypto mining and is looking into emergency scenarios.
Re: (Score:1)
That is ERCOT's problem.
Re: (Score:1)
Has ERCOT paid off the families of those who died the last time ERCOT failed? And in what world is death OK?
Re: (Score:1)
I don't know. Why don't you ask the families?
Re: (Score:2)
Has ERCOT paid off the families of those who died the last time ERCOT failed? And in what world is death OK?
I'd say death is not OK and should never just be paid off as a cost of doing business... But ERCOTs problems run far deeper than crypto miners.
Re: (Score:2)
First, learn to speak the God Damned language.
"What are they doing illegally?"
Being asked for information isn't an admission of guilt. I think the gubmint is of the opinion that public water access and hospital power is more important than crypto mining and is looking into emergency scenarios.
This.
It's why we run censuses. So we can get a picture of the make up of the nation and that information can be used in policy planning.
Whether or not one can be compelled to answer questions is another matter. Generally enough people are open and honest enough that we can safely ignore those who don't wish to participate.
Also, as a side note I imagine most crypto farmers know exactly how much electricity their rigs are using, even if they're getting it illegally.
Re:MUH FREEDUMBS!!!!1 (Score:5, Insightful)
And these crypto farms are paying for their energy use like any other customer. What are they doing illegal?
Disclaimer: I'm against Proof of Work cryptography, if that work doesn't contribute to society.
Maybe not illegal but here's the rub. Some things are more affordable because they're subsidized. If someone comes along and uses excessive amount of that subsidized good, everyone pays more, not just the dick.
For example, there's probably no law against me buying all the fresh milk I can get my hands on so I can make a fountain of milk. The milk goes bad fairly fast of course so I have to keep buying lots of government subsidized cheap milk. One way or another, the cost of all the cheap milk I'm buying is going to cost everyone else or politicians will make it illegal for me to have a fountain of cheap milk.
I'm on the fence as to if crypto mining from green energy sources is OK as nothing is entirely green. Even if they build their own green power plants, I'd say what they're doing is still wrong.
Re: (Score:2)
If the electricity you're using was partially subsidized by the government (which seems to be what the GP was suggesting, I have no idea if that's actually true) then you didn't entirely pay for it. And if you were using a measurable percentage of global energy consumption playing video games not only would that your local power utility probably start asking some pointed questions but I think that you could be rightly criticized for being wasteful.
Remember being criticized is not the same thing as being
Re: (Score:2)
I guess I have all my life been blind to the idea that my electricity and milk are government subsidized????
Can someone provide proof of such?
Re: (Score:2)
What do you think the subsidies for farmers is for if not to make milk, meat, grain etc. actually affordable?
Re: (Score:2)
I honestly don't know that much about them....I had assumed the ones there, were to make US farm products more competitive over foreign products?
And the other question....the Feds subsidize electricity too?
Re: MUH FREEDUMBS!!!!1 (Score:2)
There are subsidies for clean energy generation such as solar. I have 70 panels on my roof that were subsidized that way. I'm a net exporter to the grid on an annual basis.
There are many commercial solar farms, also subsidized.
Re: (Score:2)
It is not to make things more affordable - though that may be a pleasant side effect.
It's insurance. Nothing more - subsidies and price supports for farmers is to make sure that more crops than we need are planted every year. So that farmers and dairies stay in business. So that we don't get rollercoaster abundance and scarcity from year to year, driven by market effects, that we don't get one drought or disease outbreak crippling production and leading to famine.
Think of it all as insurance for our food
Not a national concern really... (Score:1)
It is my understanding that the only part of Texas connected to the national power grid is El Paso. So if these crypto-farms are operating on an independent power grid, is it really any of Washington's concern how much power they are using?
Re:Not a national concern really... (Score:5, Insightful)
Washington is concerned about Texans freezing to death due to a failing power grid. https://www.texastribune.org/2... [texastribune.org]
Re: (Score:3)
- Texas doesn't want to join the National Power Grid
- Texas wants to run their state as a haven for power-hungry, low job-creating cryptocurrency speculation.
Sounds like they're about to learn the Consequences of their Actions.
Re: (Score:2)
Exactly.
People are going to die because cryptocoin shills won't idle their hardware during storms.
Re: (Score:2)
People are going to die because cryptocoin shills won't idle their hardware during storms.
The obvious solution is to raise the price of electricity when demand outstrips supply.
That encourages everyone to conserve, including crypto miners. It also encourages producers to ramp up generation.
This is freshman Economics 101.
In a cold emergency (Score:2)
You're welcome.
Re: (Score:2)
Indeed it is not.
We've had 20 years of right wing court packing (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:1)
Nominating fully-qualified individuals to serve in existing Federal judicial posts is not "packing the courts". That term refers specifically to the practice of adjusting the number of seats in a judicial body to open positions for more judges/justices to sway the leaning of that body (instead of waiting for a chair to open in the traditional manner).
If it upsets you that people with a political leaning opposed to yours benefits from obeying the law, then too bad. Go eat your sour grapes somewhere else.
Re: (Score:1)
Actually there were articles about doing just this in the National Review during Clinton and Gingrich. Mid-1990's. So yes, it is indeed court packing as a political tool.
WHICH federal judge? (Score:5, Insightful)
It's 2024. You can't report on law in the united states without saying WHO the judge is. Alan Albright - the judge here - isn't a judge who decides based on trivialities like "law." He's a Trump judge who decides based on vibes and who has had an almost unique order filed against him by the chief judge stripping him of much of his docket.
Re:WHICH federal judge? (Score:5, Insightful)
Take a guess who appointed this judge, come on guess
There's no need to guess. We can look at his Wikipedia page: Alan Albright [wikipedia.org].
He was appointed by Donald Trump on September 10, 2018.
Re: (Score:2)
Jeeesh Spoiler alert! You take the fun out of everything.
The "Industry", makes me laugh (Score:1)
The "Industry", Really? (Score:4, Interesting)
It's almost sickening to hear this direct tax money to the rich to make more money for themselves, and in this case, they do nothing for anyone. Parasites is a more accurate. I'm in TX and I still hate seeing (a judge in TX); it's always idiotic. At least Alabama got to the embro=child first, and saved us from that. I'm sure TX would have gotten to it, eventually.
I read about the "Industry" in TX.
1. We gave them long, long, long term cheap electric rates (it was stupid, but like 50-75+ or something years, feel free to correct me on this, but produce a 'good' source). Cheaper than actual people get, for sure.
2. We agreed to @%&* pay them for not using electricity in emergencies.
It's the reverse Robin Hood. Cruz YOU really hate working people, that actually pay taxes don't you. Well... considering we're your main source of income, to give to the rich, maybe not. Please fall into a vat of acid or something, so we can see you as the super villain you are! Or, better yet, maybe we'll get lucky, and you won't go on to terrorize Gotham! ;)
Tax Carbon (Score:3)
If you're worried about the greenhouse effects of crypto mining, tax carbon.
Re: (Score:2)
CO2 taxes would make the nuclear proposition must better from an economics point of view.
It's this idiot again (Score:5, Informative)
Wikipedia: Alan Albright [wikipedia.org]
dupe? (Score:2)
https://news.slashdot.org/stor... [slashdot.org]
Isn't it time for Bitcoin to go to proof-of-stake? (Score:2)
... or some other mechanism that doesn't require the expenditure of arbitrarily large amounts of valuable energy to solve pointless make-work problems?
Other cryptocurrencies have done it, why hasn't Bitcoin?
Re: (Score:2)
Changes to the core code base require ratification from validates. Validates who have invested vast sums of money in mining gear that will be left empty-handed if Bitcoin ever changes away from SHA256 PoW. Never gonna happen.
Re: (Score:2)
Validators not Validates
Re: (Score:2)
Basically, it cannot.
mischaracterizing crypto mining as legitimate... (Score:4, Insightful)
And I don't understand how some can give a pass not only to normal monitoring of online activity for regular and national security purposes, but also flagrant violation individuals' privacy and the law with mass surveillance, and then in the same breath defend this position.
It's like only activity that involves money (usually lots of it) has rights, and actual people don't.
Coming from a party that crabs about freedom so much, that's messed up.
Typical authoritarian Texas bufoonery. (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Interesting.
Can you post a link where you heard such a law being proposed?
I'd be quite interested in hearing the exact restrictions they are trying to make and the justification(s) behind them....
Re: (Score:2)
The judge said nothing of the sort.
Consider these three levels of "monitoring";
1. Asking my electric company how much electricity I use.
2. Publishing my electric bill.
3. Asking me to compile a list of every appliance that uses electricity, the times that I operate said appliance, and how much I paid for the appliance.
Texas is a lot closer to 3 than to 1.
Re: (Score:2)
Not a good look (Score:2)
"If people know what we are really doing, it will cause us irreparable harm" is not a great look.
Your Tax Dollars at Work (Score:2)
Happily converting public resources into private wealth