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              <p><strong>In a move to address the growing carbon footprint of energy-hungry technologies, US Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and John Fetterman have put forward the Clean Cloud Act of 2025. This proposed law is specifically designed to curb carbon emissions stemming from power-intensive cryptocurrency mining and the massive data centers that fuel artificial intelligence.</strong></p>

<p>Interestingly, this legislative push comes at a time when Bitcoin miners themselves are increasingly looking towards renewable energy sources to power their operations, suggesting a possible industry shift already underway.</p>

<h2 class="bic-gutenberg-heading wp-heading wp-block-heading" id="h-clean-cloud-act-links-rising-energy-demand-to-bitcoin-mining">Clean Cloud Act: Tackling Bitcoin Mining's Rising Thirst for Energy</h2>

<p>The Clean Cloud Act proposes giving the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) real teeth when it comes to emissions.  Under the bill, the EPA would be empowered to establish carbon performance standards each year for facilities gobbling up over 100 kilowatts of IT power.</p>

<p>Think of it like this: these emissions standards wouldn't stay static. They'd get stricter year after year, with emissions limits ratcheting down by 11% annually, pushing for continuous improvement.</p>

<p>For companies that go over the set carbon limit, there would be a financial consequence.  They'd face a penalty starting at $20 for every ton of carbon dioxide equivalent they emit above the cap.  And this isn't a one-time fee – it's designed to increase over time, adjusting for inflation and adding an extra $10 per ton each year. To ensure comprehensive accounting, the bill also mandates including indirect emissions from the power grid in calculations.</p>

<p>The Senators behind the bill are clear about their motivation: they believe crypto mining and AI centers are pushing electricity demand to unsustainable levels.  Their argument is that the current expansion of clean energy sources simply can't keep pace with the booming energy needs of sectors like Bitcoin mining.</p>

<p>To put it in perspective, they point out that data centers alone are already consuming 4% of all electricity in the United States, and this could skyrocket to 12% by 2028 if trends continue.  Alarmingly, some utilities have reportedly even had to restart older, polluting coal-fired power plants to meet this surging demand, which is a step backward for the nation's carbon footprint.</p>

<p>Senator Whitehouse emphasized the knock-on effects of this pressure, noting that rising electricity demand ultimately leads to higher costs for everyday consumers. He argues that the Clean Cloud Act is designed to incentivize tech companies to invest more heavily in clean energy, which, in turn, would help the US power grid achieve its net-zero emissions goals within the next decade.</p>

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<p>“The good news is that we don’t have to choose between leading the world on AI and leading the world on climate safety: big technology and AI companies have all the money in the world to pay for developing new sources of clean energy, rather than overloading local grids and firing up fossil fuel pollution.  The Clean Cloud Act will drive utilities and the burgeoning crypto and AI industries to invest in new sources of clean energy,” the lawmaker <a href="https://www.epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2025/4/whitehouse-fetterman-introduce-clean-cloud-act-to-create-emissions-standard-for-ai-cryptomining-facilities" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">stated</a>.</p>
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<p>To ensure fairness and protect vulnerable populations, the bill includes a provision to allocate 25% of the revenue generated from these emissions penalties to help offset energy costs for low-income households.  The remaining funds would be channeled into grants supporting the development of long-duration energy storage solutions and new clean power generation projects.</p>

<p>It's worth noting that this legislative push is happening as the cryptocurrency industry is already making noticeable strides towards greener energy practices. </p>

<p>For example, a recent report from the MiCA Crypto Alliance indicates that renewable energy sources powered a significant 41% of Bitcoin mining operations by the close of 2024. This is a substantial jump from just 20% in 2011, demonstrating real progress.</p>

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" alt="Bitcoin Miners Renewable Energy Use." class="wp-image-686557 lazy" loading="lazy" src="https://beincrypto.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/image-109.png"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Bitcoin Miners Renewable Energy Use. Source: <a href="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/668e68a2d1cc5a461cdd6674/67ea5d27012290f19ff120c5_MiCAxNodiens_Report_Carbon_Footprint_Path_to_2030.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">MiCA Crypto Alliance</a></figcaption></figure>

<p>Building on this positive trend, the report projects that renewables could power over 70% of mining activities by 2030.  This optimistic forecast is attributed to factors like the increasing cost-effectiveness of renewable energy, evolving government policies favoring green energy, and a broader industry-wide shift towards more sustainable operational practices.</p>

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Source: beincrypto.com