US congressmen urged to check the legality of mining

According to them, mining farms can violate environmental laws because of their greenhouse gas emissions

24.04.2022 - 07:00

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What's new? A group of US congressmen led by Jared Huffman has asked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take a detailed look at the cryptocurrency mining industry. In their opinion, mining based on the Proof-of-Work (PoW) consensus algorithm could violate environmental laws. According to the congressmen's letter, mining farms, in addition to significant greenhouse gas emissions, lead to serious e-waste problems.

The letter to the EPA

What else does the letter say? According to the document, bitcoin mining alone produces nearly 30 700 tons of electronic waste each year. Huffman noted that people who live near mining farms report noise pollution. The congressmen asked the EPA to investigate and address the impact of the mining facilities on communities.

“The rapidly expanding cryptocurrency industry needs to be held accountable to ensure it operates in a sustainable and just manner to protect communities,” Huffman added.

What had happened before? On March 14, the European Union voted to ban PoW mining. As a result, the legislative amendment was not supported.

Iran toughened penalties for illegal cryptocurrency mining. The new rules provide for increased fines and criminal liability for repeat violations.

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