U.S. Department of Energy Will Start Comment Period on Miner Survey Proposal

The Energy Information Administration, a division within the Department of Energy, said it would solicit feedback on its crypto miner survey after coming to an agreement with the Texas Blockchain Council and Riot Platforms (RIOT).

According to the agreement, the EIA will publish a notice proposing its planned miner survey, taking comments for 60 days. The notice will replace the previous survey, which was issued under emergency status.

The survey, which asked miners questions about their energy usage, was originally published earlier this month, with EIA giving mining firms just a few weeks to respond or face fines. It was

The Texas Blockchain Council and Riot sued, securing a temporary restraining order last week. A hearing scheduled for earlier this week was canceled after the parties announced they had reached an agreement.

The EIA will “destroy any information that it has already received,” the agreement said, as well as any other information it receives from the emergency survey.

“Defendants agree that in considering the comments submitted in response to the New Federal Register Notice, EIA will also consider any comments submitted in response to the February 9 Notice as if they had been submitted in response to the New Federal Register Notice,” the filing said.

The agency may still choose to issue the survey after the comment period ends, according to the filing.

The Department of Energy will also pay the plaintiffs’ attorneys’ fees, totaling just under $2,200.