US lawmakers appeal directly to 4 mining companies, asking for information on energy consumption

Four members of the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce said they are "deeply concerned" that mining with proof of work could increase demand for fossil fuels.

Four members of the United States House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce have demanded answers from four major crypto mining companies regarding the potential effects of their energy consumption on the environment .

In letters dated Wednesday to Core Scientific, Marathon Digital Holdings, Riot Blockchain and Stronghold Digital Mining, US lawmakers Frank Pallone, Bobby Rush, Diana DeGette and Paul Tonko asked the companies to provide information from 2021 , including the energy consumption of their mining facilities, the source of that energy, the percentage coming from renewable energy sources and the frequency with which the companies reduced their activities. The four members of the House committee also asked what was the average cost per megawatt-hour companies spend mining crypto at each of their respective facilities.

“Blockchain technology holds tremendous promise and could make our personal information more secure and the economy more efficient,” lawmakers said in a letter to Riot CEO Jason Les. "However, the power consumption and hardware required to support PoW-based cryptocurrencies can, in some cases, produce serious externalities in the form of harmful emissions and excessive electronic waste."

NEW: E&C executives sent a series of letters to cryptomining companies today...