[ad_1]
THE final agreement between the Texas Blockchain Council & Riot Platforms, Inc. and the Energy Information Administration just fell, and that's a good thing.
In summary, the EIA will voluntarily terminate the illegal EIA-862 collection action it initiated and will commit to destroying all information it has received and may still receive as part of the 'EIA-862. Additionally, they will also cancel and withdraw the February 9, 2024 collection notice, replacing it with a new notice.
This new notice will last for a full 60 days from the date of its publication in the Federal Register, and the EIA has also agreed to ensure that all comments received during the February 9 notice will be incorporated and considered in the new opinion. notice.
So here's the bottom line: the government needs to go back to the well and get it right. They cannot use a political “emergency” pretext to impose this, and fortunately the mining industry, thanks to the quick and decisive work of the Texas Blockchain Council & Riot, blocked this egregious violation.
But the flight is not over, we must submit our comments on the new data collection notice as soon as it is published. And you can see the fight is going to be tougher, as groups opposed to Bitcoin mining are already jumping into the fray.
The Sierra Club attempted to file an amicus brief in this case. This memorandum, which was entered into the file (even if it was opposed as inappropriate and it's moot now anyway), shows their arguments that they will likely develop in a brief supporting the EIA's new data collection. These arguments are as weak as one would expect, but they will be there and will need to be addressed and overcome.
Finally, as icing on the cake, the government will also reimburse the Texas Blockchain Council & Riot Platforms, Inc., $2,199.45 in court costs and attorney's fees. It's clearly not enough to cover the expenses, but it's still a sweet surprise. But let's be clear, nothing in this agreement constitutes “an admission of liability or wrongdoing…”. Sure, and “(something) is rotten in the State of Denmark,” which you can smell all the way to Waco, Texas.
This is a guest post from Colin Crossman. The opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.
[ad_2]
Source by [author_name]