Texas Bitcoin Mining Industry Pushes Back on Federal Energy Usage Survey

The head of the Texas Blockchain Council says the emergency data collection effort is invasive and politically motivated.

Apr. 10, 2026 at 6:08am

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A highly detailed, glowing 3D illustration of a complex bitcoin mining rig, with intricate circuitry and neon lights, suspended in a dark, atmospheric environment, conceptually representing the energy-intensive nature of cryptocurrency operations.The energy-intensive bitcoin mining industry in Texas faces increased federal scrutiny over its growing electricity demands.Austin Today

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has launched an emergency survey to determine the energy usage of the rapidly growing cryptocurrency mining industry, particularly in Texas which has over 30 mining sites. However, the president of the Texas Blockchain Council, Lee Bratcher, has criticized the survey as too invasive, politically motivated, and unfairly targeting the industry compared to other high-energy sectors like cloud computing.

Why it matters

The cryptocurrency mining industry has faced criticism over its significant energy consumption, which some estimates say could equal the annual electricity usage of several U.S. states. The EIA survey aims to get a better handle on the industry's impact on the electric grid, but the Texas Blockchain Council argues the effort is overreaching and could lead to unfair pressure on energy providers to cut ties with mining operations.

The details

The EIA's analysis showed that in 2023, the estimated U.S. electricity demand supporting cryptocurrency mining equals annual demand ranging from more than 3 million to more than 6 million homes. The low-end of the range would equal annual electricity usage for states such as Utah and West Virginia. However, Bratcher says Texas bitcoin miners only consume about 2% of all energy on the Texas grid, and they are able to quickly curtail operations during tight grid conditions to help lower demand.

  • The EIA started performing the emergency survey just last week.
  • Texas has over 30 bitcoin mining sites as of 2026.

The players

Lee Bratcher

The president of the Texas Blockchain Council, which represents a significant portion of mining companies in Texas.

Mark Morey

A senior advisor at the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), which is conducting the emergency survey on cryptocurrency mining energy usage.

U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

The federal agency that collects and analyzes energy data, and has launched an emergency survey to determine the energy impact of the cryptocurrency mining industry.

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What they’re saying

“We're just trying to get a handle on this sector's use of electricity – how much, where it's occurring, how might it affect the electric grid in the United States, and particularly in different regions of the country.”

— Mark Morey, Senior Advisor, U.S. Energy Information Administration

“This is quite strange. The EIA does collect data, but they've never done it in this way. They've never been so specific, and they've also never targeted an industry so specifically.”

— Lee Bratcher, President, Texas Blockchain Council

“We're concerned that they could put pressure on some of these big energy companies to no longer have energy contracts with Bitcoin mining data centers. It really makes no sense, given that the reason for the survey was grid stability and AI data centers and cloud computing data centers were not included, which use far more energy and are far less flexible.”

— Lee Bratcher, President, Texas Blockchain Council

What’s next

The Texas Blockchain Council is exploring legal options to push back against what they see as federal overreach with the EIA's emergency survey on cryptocurrency mining energy usage.

The takeaway

This clash between the federal government and the Texas cryptocurrency mining industry highlights the ongoing debate over the environmental impact of the rapidly growing sector. While the EIA aims to collect data to understand the grid implications, the industry argues the survey is unfairly targeted and could lead to unfair pressure on energy providers.