Texas Blockchain Council Secures Court Victory Against U.S. Energy Officials over Data Collection
Summary:
The Texas Blockchain Council (TBC) and Riot Platforms, a Bitcoin mining company, have obtained a favorable judgment in a lawsuit against a number of U.S. energy officials, including the U.S. Department of Energy and Energy Information Administration (EIA). The case revolved around allegations of excessively intrusive data collection from cryptocurrency miners. Consequently, the court issued a temporary restraining order (TRO), barring the EIA from obliging miners to participate in the survey or disclose any data gathered so far. The TRO aims to "maintain the status quo" and expires before March 25.
The Texas Blockchain Council (TBC) and Riot Platforms, a Bitcoin mining company, have successfully obtained a favorable judgment in a case against a number of U.S. energy officials. On February 22, it was reported that the TBC and Riot brought a case against the U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration (EIA), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and their leaders, accusing them of excessively intrusive data gathering from crypto miners. Following a February 23 document filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, the TBC and Riot persuaded the judge that there would be irreversible damage without a temporary restraining order (TRO) to prevent further data gathering. The judge, therefore, issued a TRO barring the EIA from obligating crypto miners to participate in the survey and from divulging any information already obtained from the survey. The court observed that the plaintiffs had demonstrated through facts and ample supporting proof that immediate and irreparable harm would ensue in the absence of a TRO.
The TBC and Riot pointed out that the potential harm includes irretrievable compliance costs regarding the survey, a credible risk of legal action if non-compliance occurred, and the revelation of proprietary data required by the survey. There was also a dispute regarding the timeline for the miners to finish the survey without any form of compensation. While the EIA's projected completion time was about 30 minutes, the court found this projection grossly understated. The TBC and Riot also contested the estimated timeframe, stating that compliance costs so far have consumed over 40 hours. Upon reviewing the provided evidence, the court concluded that the TBC and Riot have a high chance of winning the lawsuit. Furthermore, the court held that the EIA had misused its authority in endorsing the emergency survey – a move the court labeled as insufficient to justify such a measure.
The court's documentation also highlighted that the TBC and Riot have a strong chance of succeeding in the lawsuit. The emergency survey was introduced and confirmed under the Paperwork Reduction Act's emergency provision (PRA). The document added that the TRO will expire before March 25, with its objective during the four-week span to "maintain the status quo".
Published At
2/25/2024 4:05:05 AM
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