A group of US congressmen asked the Environmental Protection Agency to review the mining industry for environmental risks and compliance with applicable laws.

The authors of the letter were particularly concerned about the Proof of Work consensus algorithm. According to the document, one bitcoin transaction could power the average American household for a month.

Alternatively, congressmen are proposing a “less energy intensive” Proof-of-Stake technology that supposedly uses 99.99% fewer resources.

The authors of the initiative expressed their concerns about the violation of laws regarding clean air, clean water and noise from mining farms, which disturbs the peace of the citizens living in the neighborhood.

Members of Congress also spoke of the success in the fight against the Greenidge Generation bitcoin mining company, which was accused of environmental violations by New Yorkers in July 2021.

Recall that in February 2022, the head of one of the largest Intel chip manufacturers, Pat Gelsinger, criticized bitcoin for its impact on the environment.

Earlier, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin described the human factor as the main obstacle to Proof-of-Stake.