Published on February 23, 2024 17:29 GMT+00:00edited on February 23, 2024 17:34 GMT+00:00

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., has a bone to pick with the U.S. Office of Management and Budget over its recent move to authorize collecting data from bitcoin mining companies in the U.S.

Emmer said he wants answers from the OMB after the government agency allowed last month for the Energy Information Administration (EIA) — a statistical and analytical agency within the U.S. Department of Energy — to begin surveying certain crypto mining firms on their electricity consumption. Emmer laid out concerns over OMB's use of its emergency approval authority and said bitcoin miners don't currently present a threat to public safety, in a letter sent to OMB Director Shalanda Young this week.

"Bitcoin mining is not a threat to public safety. Period," Emmer said in a post on X on …