- The lawsuit filed by TBC and Riot Platforms against the U.S. Department of Energy has been dismissed by agreement of the parties.
- The agency will stop inspecting miners and destroy all information obtained.
- Counterparties will be notified in advance of subsequent data collection.
On March 1, 2024, the Texas Blockchain Council (TBC) and Riot Platform notified the court that they had reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy. As part of that, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) will stop collecting data and destroy all bitcoin miner records.
What’s the deal here?
In early 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy initiated an “emergency” collection of data on bitcoin miners. The agency’s decision faced criticism from the cryptolobby.
TBC and Riot Platforms filed a lawsuit against the Department of Energy and several other government organizations and sought an injunction.
The parties said that the agency’s collection of data under such conditions was against the law. The agency’s actions posed a direct threat to miners because of the risk of disclosure of confidential information and possible prosecution, the plaintiffs said.
Decision in the case
According to the March 1 notice, the parties have reached an agreement and dismissed the litigation. The EIA will immediately stop the data collection and destroy all information obtained.
However, the agency will still conduct an audit, but under different conditions. Counterparties will be notified in advance and will be allowed to comment publicly.
Republican Tom Emmer, who supported TBC’s claims, said the EIA cannot use its emergency powers to blindly accuse bitcoin miners and call them a national threat.
