US lawmakers and regulators are discussing drastic measures against bitcoin mining due to its large carbon footprint. This is outlined in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy report.

According to the document, miners are encouraged to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions with the involvement of the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy and other federal agencies.

The White House also recommended that the government collect more data on the industry’s energy consumption, promote energy efficiency standards and “use green technologies” for mining.

If these measures don’t work, energy-intensive bitcoin mining could be banned.

“If these measures prove ineffective in mitigating the impact, management should investigate enforcement measures and Congress may consider legislation to limit or eliminate the use of highly energy-intensive consensus algorithms for crypto-asset mining,” the report says.

He also talks about the Ethereum network’s transition from Proof-of-Work to Proof-of-Stake. The White House described the move as “the most visible response to calls for less energy-intensive consensus mechanisms.”

Recall that in April 2022, the lower house of the New York State Legislature supported a moratorium on mining using electricity produced from carbon sources. The bill was later approved by the local Senate.

In August, members of the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee sent a request to mining companies Core Scientific, Riot Blockchain, Marathon Digital, and Stronghold Digital for data on the environmental impact of their operations.

Is Bitcoin so bad for the environment? Read the dedicated ForkLog article.

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