TechFlow news — A judge in Texas has ruled that the U.S. Department of Energy must temporarily halt an emergency investigation aimed at measuring electricity consumption by cryptocurrency mining companies, according to The Block. The Texas Blockchain Council and bitcoin mining firm Riot Platforms filed a lawsuit last week against the Department of Energy, calling the probe a product of "rushed government procedures."
On Friday, U.S. District Judge Alan Albright for the Western District of Texas issued a temporary restraining order. In his ruling, Judge Albright criticized the Department of Energy, noting the investigation was approved under an emergency provision of the Paperwork Reduction Act, which allows federal agencies to bypass certain steps such as public notice and comment periods.
In response to the court order, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) stated in a post on X on Friday that it would not impose fines, penalties, or other consequences on companies that had not responded to the survey before March 22. The EIA declined to comment on its next steps. Lee Bratche, chairman of the Texas Blockchain Council, said the judge's decision confirmed that the EIA and the Department of Energy "failed to follow regulations."
