Congressman Emmer Raises Concerns About Biden Administration’s ‘Intelligence Collection Regime’ Targeting BTC Miners

House Majority Leader Tom Emmer warned on February 22 that government agencies under the Biden administration have begun collecting data on Bitcoin mining companies.

In his letter to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Emmer acknowledged that OMB approved and expedited the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) request to impose a “new mandatory information collection regime” on the Bitcoin mining industry.

The fact that OMB approved the information collection request without a comment period means the agency must demonstrate there is potential for public harm, Emmer noted.

Emmer denied that such harm existed. In the X statement he wrote:

“Bitcoin mining does not pose a threat to public safety. period. (Office of Management and Budget’s) abuse of emergency powers to attack Bitcoin miners requires explanation.”

He defended Bitcoin in his letter, writing that Bitcoin mining companies “play an essential role in the Bitcoin network.” He added that the open and permissionless nature of Bitcoin technology “embodies American values” and called for politically neutral policies.

Emmer linked the information collection policy to U.S. President Joe Biden’s leadership, arguing that OMB and EIA are “forcing the Biden administration’s regressive policy stance on energy consumption” and applying it discriminatoryly to the cryptocurrency industry. claimed that there was.

The Biden administration introduced energy policies more broadly in the August 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.

Concerns about consumption are unwarranted

According to Emmer, the EIA is concerned about the possibility that rising prices could lead to increased Bitcoin mining, which would lead to increased energy consumption. The office is also concerned about high energy consumption during “severe cold spells”.

However, the MP believes this is not a valid concern as mine activity can adjust to peak times and changing weather conditions.

Emmer added that the EIA aims to collect a variety of data from 82 cryptocurrency mining companies. He suggested the scope of the investigation was an attempt to impose a Scope 3 climate policy, a category that includes energy data beyond the scope of the company’s own operations.

Emmer compared the current investigative effort to a poorly received attempt by the U.S. SEC to gather similar information.

In a separate interview with FOX Business, Emmer emphasized that companies that fail to comply with the request face criminal and civil penalties, including fines of up to $10,000 per day. Companies must provide information every month until the end of the survey period in July.

According to a public statement from EIA on January 31, EIA began investigating various cryptocurrency mining companies in early February following emergency approval from OMB.