As part of a settlement agreement to end a lawsuit filed by various industry participants, including the Texas Blockchain Council, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) has agreed to halt the emergency survey of Bitcoin miners. The EIA must also delete any survey data it has already collected and will not collect any further information. The information must be kept private until it is discarded, The survey, which sparked debate, was designed to collect data on the energy consumption of miners. Nevertheless, the industry reacted by filing lawsuits claiming that the survey would cause irreversible damage to operations by requiring miners to disclose sensitive information. Voorwaarden van de overeenkomst. Previous information provided by the EIA stated that they will issue a new announcement in the Federal Register to begin the survey process again. This involves removing and replacing a prior notice from Feb 9 that did not elicit comments. The new notice must allow for a 60-day period for feedback, after which the EIA can proceed with the survey following legal guidelines. Comments received from both the new notice and the previous one from February must be taken into consideration. The new notice has received 9 notices that have been submitted to it. The EIA and other defendants have agreed to pay Riot Platforms and Texas Blockchain Council $2,199.45 for legal expenses and fees. The survey in question is causing some controversy. The EIA started gathering information on mining companies at the end of January following authorization from the Office of Management and Budget to conduct the survey as an urgent request. The polarizing survey is closely associated with the Biden administration’s energy policies, particularly those detailed in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. Concerns were raised by agencies about the potential for Bitcoin mining to increase along with price increases, resulting in higher energy usage during peak demand times and cold temperatures. Republican Congressman Tom Emmer voiced his disagreement with the survey on February 22nd.