Summary
TLDR: The final agreement between the Texas Blockchain Council & Riot Platforms, Inc., and the Energy Information Administration includes the termination of illegal actions, destruction of collected information, and the withdrawal of a notice for data collection. The fight is not over as comments on the new notice will need to be filed, and groups opposed to bitcoin mining are expected to push back. The Government will reimburse some court costs and attorney’s fees, but this is not an admission of liability.
Key Points
1. The final agreement between the Texas Blockchain Council & Riot Platforms, Inc., and the Energy Information Administration includes the voluntary termination of the illegal EIA-862 collection action, the commitment to destroy all received information, and the cancellation of the February 9th, 2024 notice for collection.
2. The Government will need to issue a new Notice for data collection, with a 60-day period for comments to be submitted and considered. Groups antagonistic to bitcoin mining, such as the Sierra Club, are already attempting to intervene in support of the EIA’s data collection efforts.
3. The Government has agreed to reimburse the Texas Blockchain Council & Riot Platforms, Inc., for $2,199.45 of court costs and attorney’s fees. However, it is emphasized that this agreement does not constitute an admission of liability or wrongdoing.